Life after Lie
by Weasley's girl93
Summary: Amelia Sterling is just a normal teenager. Kind of. Okay, maybe not. Counting her dead parents, troublemaking friends, raging hormones and going to Hogwarts, she has her hands full. Oh and don't forget about he-who-must-not-be-named! Follow Amelia as she deals with all these things and more! *rating may change later on* Please R & R
1. Chapter 1

"Amelia Sterling! Get your arse down here! Right now!" Amelia sighed, putting down her quill. She had been busy writing a letter to Lee, telling him at what time to meet her at the station the next day. Cass, Jennifer and she were going to stay the night at the Leaky Cauldron, because Cass would have to work the next day and this would make sure Jennifer and Amelia would be able to get to the station, with a little help of the Weasleys. Cassandra had always liked their next door neighbors, and used to ask the oldest, Bill, to watch Amelia and Jennifer when they were little.

"I'm coming Cass!" Amelia grabbed the letter she had been writing and sent it away with Cass' owl Benju.

"Have you got everything?" Cassandra asked, checking her own purse again.

"Yes. Cass."

"And you Jennie?"

"Yes mum. Now can we get going?" Amelia rolled her eyes. It was no wonder Jennifer was so eager to go. She had been obviously talking to Percy, who had probably told her that Oliver would also be at the Cauldron. It was no secret that Jennifer liked Oliver Wood. It was also no secret that Oliver was aware of this fact, and didn't give a rat's arse about it. Amelia was just glad that she would get to spend some time outside of school with her friends. Because, believe it or not, most of her friend group was going to be there tonight. Most of them with their parents, but they didn't really care about that.

"Merlin, Jen! Eager much?"

"Oh shut up!" Amelia just laughed and followed Cass through the floo network to the Leaky Cauldron.

X- Harry Potter -X

"Lia!" Amelia almost toppled over as she was tackled by Katie Bell, one of her best friends.

"Hey Kates. How are you doing?"

"I'm great! You'll never guess what happened over the summer... I was staying at the same resort as Oliver and he-"

"Hello lass." The low voice, a heavy Scottish accent apparent in it, would cause any hot-blooded girl to shiver. Amelia was no exception.

"H-hello Oliver." Katie's voice went up a few octaves, like a child that had been caught doing something it shouldn't.

"Hey Wood. How's life treating ya?" Most girls kept blubbering on after that initial shivering sensation, but not Amelia. Sure, Oliver Wood was hot as hell, but he was just a guy. And Amelia never ever let a guy faze her.

"Good, as always. Hello Katie." Katie turned an ever darker shade of red than she had been two seconds ago. "I've got to go and get some quidditch supplies, care to join me Lia?" He asked, as he tugged on one of her long blonde locks.

"I would love to, Ollie." She used this little nickname to tease him. "But we still have to check in."

"It's okay. I'll see you tonight then. We're going for ice cream at Fortesque's."

"Sounds like a plan! Seven?" He nodded and turned around. Before Katie could continue her story about the summer, they were interrupted by none other than the Weasley twins.

"Well, look at this Freddie..."

"if it isn't our long lost little Lia." Both of the guys slung an arm around her and Amelia rolled her eyes.

"Look Kates, it's the troublesome twins! Don't you have some people to terrorize?" The twins faked being hurt and lifted their hands to their chests, theatrically. Amelia just rolled her eyes at their antics, before giving George a hug. "Good to see you, George."

"What am I? Air?" Came Fred's voice from her left. Amelia raised her eyebrows sceptically.

"Don't be such a wanker, Freddie." She let go of George and answered Fred's little grin with one of her own, before throwing her arms around his neck, giving him a proper best friend greeting.

"That's what I'm talking about."

X- Harry Potter -X

"Lia!" Amelia turned around with a smile, only to be picked up by Lee.

"Hey Lee!" Lee was a year older and very good friends with the twins, though he was less of a troublemaker.

"How was your summer?" Lia rolled her eyes.

"Unbelievably boring. Cass wouldn't let me go _anywhere_. I've been holed up in my room for most of the summer. All thanks to Black. Worst summer ever. How about you?" Lee shrugged.

"It was okay I guess. Spent most of it with my cousin, Hope." Amelia tried to get an image of the girl he was talking about, but somehow couldn't find one in her mind. Weird... Normally she was really good at remembering faces. Deciding not to spend too much time on it, she shrugged it of and started babbling enthusiastically to Lee, while making their way into the train. Luckily the twins had managed to snag an empty compartment and their friends were slowly trickling in, one by one. Instead of being able to sit next to Lee, on the seat closest to the compartment door, Amelia got stuck sitting in between Fred and Oliver. Not that she minded being next to either of them, but she had heard something the day before, when she passed two seventh years.

" _Did you hear?" A dark-haired girl whisper-yelled to her blond companion. Amelia stopped in her tracks. She was never one for gossip, but she had been so bored over the summer that everything sounded interesting._

" _What?" The blond answered, curiosity clear in her voice the brunette moved a little closer to the blond._

" _Rumor has it that Oliver Wood has taken an interest in one of the Gryffindor girls!" A gasp came from the blond._

" _Nooooo! Who?"_

" _I don't know, but I heard she's a fourth year."_

" _A fourth year?! Isn't that a bit young?"_

" _Maybe. But hey, who are we to judge, right?" After that Amelia had been repeating that conversation in her mind over and over again, trying to figure out who they could've been talking about._

A small bang shook her from her thoughts. Apparently the twins, who were seated across from each other, had started playing a game of exploding snap. Fred lost, resulting in the stack of cards blowing up in his face. While everyone was laughing, enjoying his embarrassment, Amelia noticed a small trickle of blood dripping down his left cheek. Without thinking she grabbed a tissue from her purse and pulled his face a bit towards her, so she could gently wipe the blood from his cheek. He looked at her with a small smile.

"Thanks Lia." He said softly. Lia smiled back at him, before turning to Oliver.

"So Ollie. Guess what I heard." Oliver looked at her, a look in his eyes that she couldn't quite place.

"What did you hear, Lass?" Amelia grinned at him.

"People are saying that you like some fourth year Gryffindor. I'm just wondering who it is." If she hadn't turned her eyes to George in that moment, she'd have noticed the color that rose to his cheeks.

"People say a lot." Lia turned her eyes back to Oliver, whose cheeks had turned back to his normal color. She was about to ask him why he avoided giving an answer to her implied question, when her attention was pulled back to George, who had started up a new game of exploding snap, with his twin.

"You tossers are going to hurt yourselves again."

"Don't care." They answered in unison. Amelia just rolled her eyes and grabbed her book. She had just finished the chapter, when there was a knock on the door and a mocha skinned girl with very, very long hair and sparkling green eyes entered the compartment. She didn't look familiar, even though she looked like she was around the same age as Amelia. Amelia looked at Lee, who was seated in front of her, trying to see if he knew this girl. The way he grinned at the girl, who answered with a smug little smile, suggested he did know her. Quite well. A secret summer love maybe? No, that wasn't it. If Lee liked someone she would know about it, that much she was certain of. But there was something about this girl. And then suddenly it hit her...

"You're Hope, right?" The green eyes moved to Amelia, an eyebrow raised. And suddenly those eyes weren't green anymore. They had somehow turned a quite unnatural shade of purple, startling her. After looking her up and down, the corners of the girl's mouth turned up.

"The one and only."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello lovelies,**

 **First of all: Thank you for reading yet another fic I wrote. For those who are wondering: No I did not quit on other fics, I just have a whole lot of writer's block for them. I hope you'll enjoy this new story though! Please R &R!**

"Hope. That's an unusual name." Katie pointed out, shaking Amelia out of her thoughts. Hope grinned at Katie.

"Yeah well, I'm quite 'unusual' as you put it." Upon seeing Katie's confused face, Hope's face split into another grin. "Metamorphmagus." She explained simply. Amelia silently watched the two interact as she grabbed her backpack from the floor. Knowing herself, she knew she would probably fall asleep somewhere during the trainride and had packed herself a nice blanket to take with her. As she pulled the blanket out of her bag, Lee stood to leave the compartment with Hope.

"I'll see you guys later."

"Bye Lee! See you at the feast!" Katie waved at him, a smile on her face. Lee winked back at her and they turned left, on their way to Hope's compartment. Amelia started to find a comfortable position to take a little nap.

"Come here lass." Oliver put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side. Even though it was not a natural position for her body to be in, somehow it still felt comfortable.

"Thank you." Because of her closed eyes Amelia did not notice the loving smile on Oliver's face. It didn't take her long to drift off, lulled to sleep by the train.

" _Tell me where the boy is!"A dark, heavy voice said. "Tell me, or you will never see the light of day again."_

" _You will never find him! Your side will never win!"A high pitched, painful scream followed the woman's words._

" _You will give up. It's what weak people do."The screaming stopped._

" _I am not weak. I never will be. I have their blood running through my veins." The woman now sounded scarily calm._

" _It is your choice. Avada kedavra!"A flash of green light and then a silence that sent chills down her spine._

Amelia opened her eyes, panic apparant in the look she threw around her. She calmed down a little when she realized that it was just a nightmare and that she and her friends were on their way to Hogwarts. She also registered the air that kept getting colder and colder and her friends that were all fast asleep. She saw movement in the corner of her eye and turned her head towards the compartment door, eyes growing wide as she noticed the dark figure appearing there. When the eyes of the creature turned to her, even though she couldn't see it's actual eyes, she was sucked back into her nightmare from only moments before. Screaming, the curse and the deadly silence. She felt a slight movement and noticed a silvery figure springing from a wand. Then everything went black.

X- Harry Potter –X

When she woke up again, she was stared down upon by two pairs of eyes. One a brown, like the richest chocolate. The other a sparkling blue, reminding you of oceans, sandy beaches and tropical islands. She knew both of these eyes like the back of her hand and seeing them made her keep her calm, instead of panicking.

"Are you okay lass?" Oliver's voice was deep and smooth, a calming sound that made you feel at ease.

"I'm fine. Just a little bit shaken." She felt Fred give a reassuring squeeze to her hand, which he had grabbed after she had opened her eyes. The feeling was familiar, something he had picked up after he had found her crying over some bullies in her first year. "What the hell was that thing?"

"You mean you don't know?" Olliver's voice had a tone of surprise, barely hidden by his scottish accent. Amelia shook her head, eyes focused on the floor.

"Cass doesn't like to talk about things that make her uncomfortable. Took her until this summer to have the sex talk." Amelia chuckled at Fred's words.

"Yeah, and by then I had been mentally corrupted by the terrible two." When Oliver stopped chuckling she continued. "But I still don't know what in the world that thing was."

"A dementor. Vile creatures that survive on our memories and fear." Amelia and Fred both shivered at the thought. Amelia was still full of questions and, in a typical Amelia way, she did not hesitate to ask them. Fred and Oliver did their best to tell her everything they knew about the dangerous creatures and when they'd had enough of the subject, they moved on to things that were easier to talk about, filling in the time until they reached Hogwarts.

X- Harry Potter –X

The start of the year feast was quite uneventful, if you didn't count Fred, George and Amelia pull a glorious prank on Marcus Flint, turning his skin gryffindor red. It was obvious that everyone knew who had been the culprit. Or at least two of them.. You see, no one expected Amelia to pull a prank this early in the school year. Lia was known for being a model-student, paying attention in class, coming in a close second to a Ravenclaw girl in her transfiguration class. Right now Amelia was sitting at the Gryffindor table in the great hall, enjoying a pile of bacon and toast, while getting a head start of defense against the dark arts.

"You're starting off early." She had failed to hear him approaching.

"Oliver!"

"Trying out for the team this year?" Amelia shook her head.

"No, but I'm watching every game." Oliver smiled that cute little smile that had all the girls falling down at his feet and Lia felt a little blush rising to her cheeks.

"I'm holding you to that promise." Lia smiled at him and noticed that he had started munching on her bacon.

"Enjoying _my_ breakfast Ollie?" He grinned and moved his hand so he held a piece of bacon in front of her mouth. Lia raised her eyebrows, before thinking: _What the hell_ and opening her mouth. As Oliver fed her the little piece of bacon, she tried to figure out what the change in his demeanor meant. Why was Oliver giving her all of this attention suddenly? They had been friends for four years and they had treated each other the same during all of that time. So why the sudden change? She was distracted by a little giggle coming from across them, where Katie had taken a seat. Because Lia was looking at Katie questioningly, she missed the look that Oliver shot her. Katie shook her head, before turning her attention to professor McGonnagal, who was handing them their schedules. As soon as Lia saw it, she started banging her head against the table. Oliver grabbed her shoulders, to keep her from doing any damage to her head or the table.

"What's wrong?" Lia didn't say anything and just handed him the piece of parchment. "Ouch. Double potions on monday morning? And with Slytherin too.. That's harsh."

"Can I now continue banging my head to the table until one of the two breaks?" Oliver laughed, but shook his head.

"Now, now... We wouldn't want you to damage that cute face of yours, now do we?" Katie giggled again, from across the table.

"Of course we wouldn't want that, Ollie. Who else would cheer for you and my less handsome twin over here?" Lia turned and raised her eyebrows at Fred, who had just arrived with George.

"I wonder... Is it hard to lift that giant ego out of bed in the morning, Freddiekins?"

"There are things that are harder in the morning." Oliver frowned at Fred, as Lia started laughing and almost choked on the toast she had just popped in her mouth.

"You really are a piece of work Weasley."

"Glad you finally noticed." Lia huffed and turned back to her breakfast.

"What is your first lesson boys?" Katie asked the twins.

"Transfiguration." George answered, Fred was obviously too busy stuffing his face with bacon. They kept talking and eating until the last possible moment and then started getting up to get to class. Lia wanted to follow Katie to the dungeons, when she was stopped by Oliver.

"I was wondering if you wanted to help me practice after class."

"of course! Should I bring Katie?" Oliver shook his head.

"Nah. I'm not really in shape and I don't want the team to know anything about it." Lia, understanding where Oliver was coming from, nodded.

"Sure. I'll meet up with you at four."

"Thank you, Lia." He smiled and then walked with her to the dungeons, not caring that he was late for his own class.

X- Harry Potter -X

"- Next week I expect an essay on the longlasting effects of Polyjuice potion. 16 inches long." Lia groaned. Of course Snape would give them this much homework on the first day. And to make matters worse Snape had decided that he would pair the Gryffindors up with Slytherins. Katie was paired up with a relatively quiet Slytherin, but Lia, to her absolute horror had been paired up with none other than Marcus Flint. Marcus had always been a tosser, but he had only gotten worse since he was named team captain of the quidditch team. Today he had been constantly turning around to talk to Robert Berns, one of his slimy friends.

"Flint! You better work with me during the next lesson or I will brew something very poisinous and make you drink it!" Flint turned around.

"Listen Sterling, you will be making all the potions as long as you're my partner, or I will spill your little secret."

"What little secret?" Lia felt the cold sweat break out. There was no way in hell he could know. She only had one secret that could even remotely interest the school population.

"Oh, you know. Your little.. Summer fling." Bloody hell. He did know! But how? They had agreed no one would ever know. _No one_.

"Thats... You.. No.."

"You better believe it _Princess_."

"You- You-"

"Do we have a deal? I will keep quiet and you will do the work." Lia grumbled.

"Fine! You win." She hissed. Flint's face showed some resemblance of the shit-eating grin that Draco Malfoy, the little shit, had managed to perfect. Lia stood up and stormed out of the classroom, not noticing the fact that Katie couldn't quite keep up with her.

"What was that about?" Katie asked, panting hard. "And when did you get this fast? I'm supposed to be the athlete!"

"It's not important. Flint was just being a humongous pain in the ass."

"Yeah well, we knew about that. But that doesn't explain why you suddenly were able to move at the speed of light."

"It really doesn't matter Kates. I just had to get that ugly face out of my sight." Katie nodded and they continued to make their way to their next class, Charms with professor Flitwick. Lia was still worrying about how in the hell Flint had found out about the summer thing. So much even, that she didn't notice boy wonder until she ran into him.

"Oh! I'm sorry Harry. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Lia smiled at him. She liked Harry, and not because he was _the_ Harry Potter. She liked him because he was a good guy. He stood up for his friends and was brave. Clueless, like all boys of that age were, but definitely brave. They stood and talked for a few moments, before resuming their path towards their next class.

X- Harry Potter -X

After a long day of classes Lia was beyond tired. But she had promised Oliver to help him with his training, like she did every week while they were at school. So when the clock struck four she stood out on the quidditch pitch, broom in hand, staring up at the blue skies, enjoying the fact that it was still quite warm outside. She was never one for the cold and wet weather that always seemed to hang around Hogwarts the first few weeks of school. She liked having the quietness of the pitch, after spending her day in the noisy classrooms. Sure, she liked being back at school, because she loved living in an old castle most of the year and she liked her quiet walks along the grounds on cold, wet days, but she missed her life in out in the outskirts of London. It was quiet, but just a busride away from the busy centre of the city. A cold gush of wind pulled her out of her thoughts, as Oliver flew past her, telling her to stop daydreaming and 'get her sweet arse on a broom'. Lia didn't waste another second and mounted her beautiful broom. Sure it was starting to get a little old, but it was her most treasured posession. She was flying a vintage nimbus. The smooth material was older than she was herself, but it had belonged to her mother, who had been a chaser for the Gryffindor team in her schooldays. She sped up so she was flying next to Oliver, practising their favorite moves. They were totally in sync, thanks to their regular training together. They spent about an hour and a half training and getting comfortable on their brooms again, before moving towards the great hall for dinner. She noticed Oliver moving just a little too close as they sat down. Like he wanted to touch her, but couldn't. Realisation hit her, when she felt his hands slowly brush hers as he reached for the mashed potatoes. She'd had her suspicions after the whole thing with Katie that morning and the way he seemed to be hovering over her the whole day. The way he kept close to her on their way back from the pitch. Oliver Wood liked her. And she was not sure how she felt about it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Everyone was finally getting used to be back at school, and things were starting to go like they used to. The twins started pulling pranks again, kicking the year off with a simple colour-changing spell, cast over Malfoy's bleach blonde hair, making it the brightest shade of orange Amelia had ever seen. But the best part of it was that, whenever he tried to get rid of it, the orange started changing a little bit closer to red, until it had completely transformed into the fiery red that you saw on those muggle firetrucks. It really was a glorious sight. On top of that Amelia had also started pranking people again, as well as backtalking during one of professor Sprout's lessons, resulting in polishing the school's prizes during a night of detention. She happily did her work, accompanied by peeves, who was getting ready to dump a load of waterballoons (probably a present from the twins) on top of Filch's head. Just as she was working on the cabinet near the door, she heard Angelina's voice mention Oliver's name.

"Are you sure? I mean Oliver is quite a bit older than her."

"Yes, I'm positive. He told me himself." That was Katie's voice! Were they talking about the realization she had come to herself?

"Well, I can't say that I'm surprised. I actually think she likes him too."

"Really?" Katie sounded really surprised.

"Yeah, but I don't think she knows it herself. Did you see them during the first school day?" There was a silence as Katie thought about what Angelina said.

"Well, now that you point it out... Do you think we should tell her?"

"I don't think we should. I think she'll have to find out for herself. I don't think he will wait much longer to tell her. I have a feeling she's close to finding out herself, if she doesn't know it already." Not paying attention to what she was doing, Amelia tripped, tipping the bucket of water that was standing next to her. Thankfully Angelina and Katie had walked away just seconds before, so they didn't hear the crash and came checking on her. To make matters worse, Peeves decided to use one of his waterballoons to throw on her, already wet, hair. Too much in thought to realize fully what was happening, Amelia stayed seated on the ground, only to be found by professor Lupin twenty minutes later, still deep in thought. Recognizing the confusion on Amelia's face, he decided to let her go back to the common room and clean the mess up himself. It would only take him a wave of his wand after all.

X- Harry Potter –X

Amelia wanted to go to the common room, but knowing she would probably find Oliver there, she decided to just roam the halls for a while. After doing so for half an hour, she ended up at the astronomy tower, where the professor was just leaving.

"Ah, miss Sterling. What can I do for you?"

"Would you mind terribly if I use the tower to make the homework you gave us for the next lesson?" Since Astronomy was one of the three subjects where Amelia had actually never pranked or backtalked and got good grades, the professor liked her enough to grant her acces.

"Of course, as long as you don't disturb the other student that is still up there." Amelia nodded, knowing she'd probably just keep to herself to think about everything she overheard her best friends say. She softly thanked the professor and walked silently up the stairs, carefull not to slip. When she neared the top of the stairs she heard the scratching of a quill on parchment. The scratching stopped for a few seconds when she stepped into the room. She could not see who the other student was just yet, but she figured it didn't matter. She walked towards the railing that was enchanted to make sure no living being could fall off and leaned her elbows on it, staring out over the grounds. She took in the spectacular sight of the black lake, the small light of Hagrid's hut somewhere in the distance, followed by the haunting darkness of the forbidden forrest. To her right she saw the Gryffindor tower, where the lights of the common room and dorms burned invitingly. She slowly let her thoughts consume her, thinking back to the friendship she had built with Oliver over the years. She could remember the moment they met as clear as day.

 _It was her first time getting on the train, Cass had helped Jennifer with her trunk, leaving Amelia to fend for herself for a moment. She had been trying to hoist her trunk up into the train all by herself, not even sure if she would be able to find a compartment. Her trunk, however, proved to be too heavy for an eleven (almost twelve, as she was so sure to mention to anyone who asked) year old girl and she tripped, crashing into Mason and the twins. After joking around for a bit they took pity on her and the twins grabbed her trunk, while Mason grabbed her arm pulling her towards their cabin. Once they arrived there she was pushed down on one of the benches. At least, that was what they meant to do. Instead she fell onto the lap of a boy that was slightly older than them._

" _Oh I'm sorry!"_

" _Not a problem lass." Amelia had immediately taken a liking to him, especially when she noticed the book he was holding._

" _Oh my god! Is that the newest book by Darren Mcneal"He raised his eyebrows._

" _You know it?"_

" _Yeah, I begged my aunt for it all summer, but I didn't get it yet." He smiled._

" _You can borrow mine when I finish it. I'm Oliver, by the way. Oliver Wood."_

" _Amelia Sterling."_

She smiled at the memory and let her mind wander further past other memories. The first time he helped her perfect some quidditch moves, working on strategies by the fire, jokes told at the breakfast table, dinners with their friends, the time she pranked him. But that didn't make things any clearer. Did he really like her? Did she like him? Would it be awkward if one of them brought it up? What would happen if one of them rejected the other? As these thoughts ran through her head, she heard a sound somewhere behind her. Probably the other student standing up. She expected the footsteps to move away from her, towards the stairs, but they didn't. They moved toward her, slow but sure. She knew those footsteps, she realized. How had she not seen him yet? And why was he here? Why now? She pretended not to hear them, and kept staring at nothing in particulair. She did not move a muscle as he came standing next to her, their hands only inches from each other.

"Why didn't you say anything?" She asked softly.

"You seemed panicked and confused. I know better than disturbing you when you're in that state." She felt his stare shift to her.

"Why are you looking at me like that Oliver?" She swallowed thickly. How had she never noticed the sparks that went flying between their hands before?

"Is there something wrong with me looking at you?" He seemed surprised and a bit nervous.

"No, of course not ... I was just wondering why." She knew the answer, and he knew she knew. They'd known each other long enough to almost read each others minds. Silently he moved his hand sideways, his fingers slowly coming into contact with hers. She moved her gaze down to their hands, scared of what would happen if she'd look up into his eyes. She felt him turn towards her and his free hand pushing her chin upwards, making her look into his eyes.

"I like you, Amelia Sterling." She closed her eyes, not knowing what to say, for once. When she opened her eyes again, he smiled down at her. "Don't worry, I don't expect an answer immediately, lass. And I won't be angry with you if you don't feel the same way. I'll always be your friend, you know that." She believed that he meant those words, without a doubt. She also believed that she should not make a decision about it right now.

"Oliver, I don't know what to say." He grinned, the sparkle in his brown eyes clearly visible.

"Well that's a first." His words were the first thing to break a little through the tension that had been building between them. She playfully shoved him a little to the side, making him trip slightly, pulling her with him, because of their still intertwined hands. Oliver soon regained his footing, but Amelia was not so lucky, as she crashed into him. Then again, some people might call her the luckiest person alive, for being so close to him. With red cheeks, she recovered and looked up at him, a sheepish look on her face. His eyes locked on hers, a loving smile on his face and before either one of them knew what was happening they started moving towards each other, eyes slowly closing. Their lips met midway, her arms coming around his neck and his hands finding her hips. His lips were soft and sure, hers held just that little bit of insecurity that she rarely showed to anyone. Butterflies made their way through both their stomachs, a feeling that was new to her. The hoot of an owl pulled Amelia's mind back to the here and now of that moment and she realized what was happening. She opened her eyes wide and broke off the kiss. When Oliver looked back at her, she saw the confusion in his eyes, followed by something else that she couldn't really place at that very second. Amelia bit her lip and turned around, fleeing away from the tower and Oliver.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Amelia did not sleep that night, spending her hours tossing and turning, thinking about what happened in the astronomy tower. She had been staring at the ceiling of her dorm, trying to figure out what to do about the whole situation, but no answer had formed in her head.

"Lia, are you okay?" Katie nudged her, making her elbow shoot out from under her head. Amelia shook her head, trying to get her head clear.

"Nothing. Why'd you ask?"

"You look like a bloody zombie. No offense." Amelia let out a sigh.

"None taken. You're probably right. I didn't really sleep last night."

"How come?" Just as she was about to say that it didn't matter, Oliver stepped through the doors of the great hall, making his way towards their group. They locked eyes for a second, before Oliver looked away and let himself fall down next to Lee, as far away from Amelia as possible. And she was not going to lie to herself, it _hurt_. Really bad. Her best friend was avoiding her because of some stupid kiss that was never meant to happen. She was so absorbed by the fact that Oliver gave her the cold shoulder, that she didn't notice Katie looking between the two of them with raised eyebrows, until she seemed to make the connection.

"Eh... Lia? I need to use the loo. Would you mind coming with me?" Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Amelia looked at Katie with confusion. They had made fun of girls like Lavender Brown and the likes of her for doing the same thing... So why- _oh bloody hell_.

X- Harry Potter –X

"Something went on between the two of you! Tell me!" Katie's face told her that she would not get out of it, so Amelia started telling about the night before. With every second of the story Katie got more and more excited. Her excitement, however, turned to shock when she heard about Amelia running away from Oliver after they kissed. "Are you out of your bloody mind? You kissed the handsomest guy this school has ever seen and then you _run away_?" Amelia sat down on one of the stone benches that lined the wall and put her head in her hands.

"What am I going to do? I ruined everything! Oliver will never talk to me again! And I don't even know how I feel about him." Katie gaped at her.

"Do you mean to tell me that you might have feelings for our own Ollie?" A deep sigh made it's way out of her throat.

"Maybe. Or maybe not. I don't know!"

"Maybe I can help you figure it out. McGonnagal is away today, so we have our first two hours off. Let's go out to the lake."

"Katie, it's snowing."

"I've been practicing my heating spells." Amelia let out another sigh.

"Fine, let's head out." They made their way through the fallen leaves that covered the grounds and sat down at the edge of the lake, Katie's spells making sure they stayed warm enough. It took Katie all of five seconds to bring the subject back up.

"So, where to start... Oh I know! Let's start at the summer. Did you miss Oliver more than you missed... Me for instance? Or the twins? Mason?" Amelia thought back to the nights spent on the swing set in their backyard, thinking about her friends.

"Yeah. I think I did."

"How about how you feel when he's near? Do you feel good when he's near you?"

"Yes. Of course."

"Butterflies?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you have butterflies when you see him?" Katie smiled, obviously knowing what the answer was going to be, before Amelia knew it herself.

"I- I think I do. Oh dear Merlin! What the bloody hell is wrong with me? I should not be having these kind of feelings for my best friend!" Katie, still with a smile on her face, put her hand on Amelia's shaking fingers, which were tracing figures in the grass.

"I know I'm not one to talk, since I didn't actually have a boyfriend yet, but I think you'll be happier when you take this chance. Oliver is a great guy. He'll be good to you. Now stop sighing, and go find him."

"I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet. I still have to come to terms with the fact that I actually like him." Katie couldn't help but chuckle.

"You'll be fine."

X- Harry Potter –X

It took Amelia two weeks to start feeling like herself again. It was the day before Halloween and she had spent another dinner not talking to Oliver. He had tried to reach out to her a few times, but she had ignored and avoided him. As their group was heading up the stairs towards the common room, they suddenly came to a standstill, just behind Harry, Ron and Hermione. The sudden standstill made her crash into George's back. When she pushed both of the twins aside to see what happened, she gasped. The portrait that gave access to the common room had been ripped up by someone. Large cuts, seemingly made by a knife, were scattered all over the painting and there was no sign of the fat lady. There were frightened sounds coming from several students and it didn't take long for Dumbledore to show up. With a little help from Filch and the other paintings they found the fat lady several paintings down, hiding behind a cow and crying her eyes out, muttering Sirius Black's name over and over again. Dumbledore did not hesitate for a moment and ordered all students to head back for the great hall, where they would spend the night while the teachers would search the castle for the escaped prisoner. Their group found a spot in a corner of the great hall, where they laid their sleeping bags close together. Most of them were out like a light within ten minutes, leaving only Katie, Amelia and Oliver awake. Oliver had made his way onto one of the tables that had been moved to the sides, leaning back against the wall and looking up at the enchanted ceiling. Amelia couldn't help but look at him. Katie, who had been dubbing over how to get the two stubborn figures together for a while, nudged Amelia softly, pointing over to Oliver. Amelia shook her head.

"You have to. I can't take the two of you not talking to each other anymore. You're the moodiest I've ever seen you and Oliver's practices are harder than ever. You are going to talk to him right now. Or I will do it for you." Amelia's eyes widened, knowing that Katie would not make things better. She took a deep breath and crawled out of her sleeping back. Sending one last glance at Katie, looking for a bit of encouragement, she started slowly and carefully making her way over to the lonely figure.

"Can I sit next to you?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but he seemed to hear her anyway, judging by the silent nod. They turned to each other, looking the other in the eye in silence for a while. When they spoke, it was at exactly the same moment.

"Oliver I-"

"Lia I-" They laughed softly at themselves. "Ladies first."

"I want to apologize."

"What for?" His eyes gleamed in the light of the moon and stars shining on the ceiling.

"For avoiding you. For being distant. For ruining everything." She could've gone on and on, if he hadn't stopped her in that moment.

"You don't have to be sorry for anything. I wanted too much, too fast. Lia I like you, a lot. But if that means that I will lose you, then I'll do everything I can to stop. You're my best friend and I don't want you to avoid me the rest of the school year." Amelia was silent for a moment, trying to make sense of the words that were forming in her head.

"What if I don't want you to stop?" Were the words she finally settled on. His eyes grew a little bigger and he slowly, as if testing the waters, bent forward. Rolling her eyes Amelia grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him closer, pressing her lips on his. His reaction was quick and overwhelming to her senses. She felt his arms circle her waist and wrapped her own arms around his neck awkwardly, not used to being kissed like this. Oliver was not known as a player or ladies' man, but he'd had his fair share of flings and kisses. It all came with being a great quidditch player she figured. It was no secret that, despite being the same age as her, the twins were enjoying quite a lot of female attention as well. She never liked publically showing her affection, so it made her feel a little insecure sitting there, in the middle of the great hall, Oliver's lips moving and playing with hers. What if someone woke up and saw? It was like he had read her mind, because he slowly pulled back and took his arms away from her waist, choosing to just hold her hand instead. They stayed quiet, both knowing that their problems might be out of the way, but there was still an escaped murderer on the loose. They kept sitting on that table, hands clasped together and joined by Katie at one point, until the light of the rising sun made its way through the windows and warming their faces.

X- Harry Potter -X

As several students started to wake up, the teachers started arriving at the great hall, one by one, signaling that the search was over. Oliver made his way over to McGonnagal, trying to figure out what they would have to do that day. When he came back, most of their group had woken up, save for Lee, who was still loudly snoring in his sleeping bag.

"We have the day off. McGonnagal said to catch up on some sleep or concentrate on homework." He had barely finished his words or the twins stood to drag Lee back to their dorm and catch up on some much needed sleep. Angelina and Alicia walked with them to get their bags, before moving on to the library and finish their essays for potions and charms respectively. Amelia and Katie started making their way outside, followed by Oliver. They sat down near the lake, once again warmed by one of Katie's warming spells.

"So how are you guys going to handle telling the rest?" Katie asked. Amelia looked at Oliver, who smiled down on her.

"Just tell them, I guess." Amelia bit her lip, but still gave a little nod. She wasn't sure how other couples handled telling their friends. Did they get a nervous feeling? Maybe a little panic, like she was feeling now? Come to think of it, had Oliver ever told the group about a girlfriend? It was no secret that Oliver had some experience, but he'd never really had introduced any of his girlfriends to her. Katie and Oliver were talking about what they thought their friends' reactions would be, while Amelia kept swimming through her own thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The great hall was filled with gossip and conversation about the night before. People were trying to figure out how in the world Sirius black got in the castle and why no one had noticed him leaving. The Halloween spirit was nowhere to be found. Except for a group of students in the middle of the Gryffindor table.

"Happy Birthday!" It was as if they had practiced to make the words come out in exactly the same moment. Amelia casually put another bite of the chocolate pudding in her mouth, pretending like she hadn't heard them. She had another bite halfway to her mouth, when George grabbed the spoon from her hand, making the pudding drop onto the table. Angelina vanished it with a wave of her wand and a smile, as Amelia was protesting and trying to take her spoon back from George's hands.

"First your presents, Lia." He said with a grin, before handing her a package packed in simple brown packing paper. Amelia sighed and gave up the fight, knowing that she wouldn't be able to wrestle the spoon away from him anyway. Damn those muscles formed by his beater training. She carefully unwrapped the package, remembering what had happened last year. Thankfully he had not put any pranks on the present this year, instead she found a special muggle card deck, designed to play tricks on people. Fred's gift got the same treatment as George's, being opened carefully, to reveal her favorite candy from honeyduke's and a packet of her favorite cookies (probably made by Mrs. Weasley). She thanked both of the grinning boys and moved on to the present she had gotten from Angelina and Alicia. It was wrapped in a bright pink wrapping paper, little silver hearts all over blinding her when the light fell into them. When the paper was carefully removed, a little black basket filled with different muggle candies and an old muggle book were revealed. She knew the name of the book, having heard Hermione Granger talk about it last year. She had borrowed the book from her then and had taken quite a liking to it. Next was Lee's gift, a nice, soft blanket in their house colours. It was quite sweet of him, knowing that she was always cold when they sat in the common room at night. Katie gave her a nice, warm sweater that they had seen a while back in a muggle clothing store and her favorite perfume. And then it was Oliver's turn. Amelia expected to get something quidditch related from him, so she was a little shocked when she saw the earrings that he had gotten her. They were beautiful little studs, a round, blush pink stone, surrounded by little clear stones. Along with the earrings he had gotten her a book on casting a patronus charm. She smiled as she looked up at him, not noticing that he had pulled her a little closer to his side and that he was now moving in closer. Her eyes shot open when she figured out what he was doing and she felt a little panic rise up inside her. He was kissing her in front of their friends! What would they think?! She remembered that they would have to tell them eventually and perhaps Oliver thought this was the best way. So she let him kiss her, right there in the great hall, surrounded by their friends. She tried not to listen to the gasps and the murmuring sounds that slowly grew louder as the rumours, that would soon be heard through the whole castle, were born. When he let go of her, she felt her face turning red and tried to avoid looking at her friends, as Oliver's arm wrapped around her waist, holding her against him. Before their friends could start asking questions, she noticed professor Lupin motioning for her to come to him.

"Sorry guys, Lupin wants to see me." She grabbed her presents, giving Oliver's arm a light squeeze and made her way to the teachers' table.

X- Harry Potter –X

They were in Lupin's office, him seated across from her, a cup of tea in front of both of them. They had been talking about her ability to almost cast a patronus, which he was surprised about this early in their lessons, and the subject they were going to approach in the lessons next week. When they finished talking about those things however, he changed the subject to what had happened in the great hall.

"I noticed what happened earlier." He said. "You were a little uncomfortable, right?" Amelia did not know how to react to a teacher noticing her love life, so she stammered, her face turning red again. He smiled his friendly smile. "Don't worry. I'm not watching you or anything. I just noticed it when I was keeping an eye on Draco Malfoy. I saw your reaction and it reminded me of your mother." This piqued Amelia's interest.

"Y- you knew my mother?" Lupin smiled again.

"Yes, I did."

"No one knows much about my mother. My aunt won't even tell me anything about her. I only know I look like her." Lupin looked at her, deep in thought about something.

"Your aunt Cassandra? Yes, well I understand. You see, your mother was a good friend of mine. Her brother was actually one of my best friends."

"Brother?" Lupin's eyes darkened a shade.

"You don't know anything about your family?" Amelia shook her head.

"Cass doesn't like to talk about them. She says she can't tell me without bringing back memories." Lupin nodded and excused himself for a moment, walking into another room. She could hear him cast a patronus charm and tried to figure out why he'd need to do that. Before she could come to any conclusion, he reappeared, sitting back in his seat again.

"I'm going to tell you about your parents. If you'd like, that is." She didn't need to be asked twice. A quick nod was all the answer she could muster. "Okay, but you have to promise not to interrupt me."

"I promise." With those words he started talking.

X- Harry Potter –X

When she entered the common room two hours later, she was uncharacteristically quiet. She sat down next to Oliver on the couch, moving against him and into his arms, not caring about who saw. She was way too confused and overwhelmed to care who saw these signs of their affection. She did not hear any of her friends' questions about where she'd been or what was wrong with her. She just stayed quiet for the rest of the night. The only person who could get a reaction out of her was Oliver, and that was only when he told her he was going to get her the blanket she had gotten for her birthday. She curled up under the blanket, her head on Katie's lap and her feet on Oliver's. Not even taking five minutes to fall asleep. Her friends stayed quiet for a few more minutes, before they started to speculate.

"She seemed really off. Do you think something bad happened?" Katie asked.

"If we know anything about our Lia, it's that she's bound to get angry when bad things happen." Fred said, frowning lightly.

"Do you think it's because I kissed her at the feast?" Oliver turned to Katie while asking this. Katie shook her head.

"If that was it, then she wouldn't have been leaning on you all night. She'd probably have walked straight to our dorm when she entered."

"Maybe it was her talk with Lupin. You know talking serious business with teachers always tires her out." George piped up.

"That might be it." Angelina nodded, along with Alicia and Lee. Oliver and Katie looked at each other, before glancing down at the sleeping girl in their laps. Katie absentmindedly stroked her best friend's hair. The rest of the group went back to their previous conversations, leaving Katie and Oliver sharing worried looks over Amelia, not noticing one other person finding it difficult to keep his eyes away from the sleeping girl.

X- Harry Potter –X

Over the next few days everything seemed to go quite smoothly. Amelia managed to cast an actual patronus charm and had managed to wrap her head around the stories about her parents. As the weather turned stormy and grey, the quidditch team started to get anxious about the upcoming match. Rain was never a good thing with quidditch matches, it meant sore muscles, head colds and a seeker who was unable to see the snitch. With the storm came other things that didn't go well. Lupin's classes were temporarily taken over by none other than the greasy bat, who seemed to think they needed to go back to the third year lessons, going on and on about werewolves. And then there was the dreaded quidditch match. Not only were Oliver's game plans not worth anything, because they suddenly were up to Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin, but apparantly the dementors went rogue, causing Harry to faint and fall from his broom, which was blown into the whomping willow. After Amelia had helped collecting all the remaining pieces of the broom, she followed the team to the hospital wing. When Harry woke up and got over the initial shock of losing his beloved broom, he asked about Oliver. It was only then that Amelia noticed that he wasn't there.

"He's still in the showers." George said, with a look at his brother.

"We think he's trying to drown himself." The whole team turned towards Amelia.

"What?" She asked, not realizing what they were getting at.

"Well, he's your boyfriend. Maybe you should go and talk to him." Angelina said, looking at her sympathetically.

"But-" Amelia sighed. They were right. She was the one who knew Oliver best. She knew that if no one talked to him, he would keep over thinking everything. So she stood and started walking out of the hospital wing.

"Lia wait!" She stopped and waited for the read head to catch up with her. "I'll walk with you." Side by side they made their way out of the castle and across the grounds. They were about halfway, when Amelia broke the silence that surrounded them.

"What did you want to talk about?" She had known the twins for years, every little quirk and mannerism they had. She knew Fred hated walking further than he had to, and only did it to either clear his mind or, if he walked with someone else, to get information. He stayed quiet for a few moments, before clearing his throat.

"I just wondered... When did this _thing_ with Oliver happen? I didn't know you had feelings for him. Neither did George or anyone else." Amelia felt the corner of her mouth twitch.

"Neither did I." He stopped walking.

"What?"

"I said, neither did I. It took me a while to figure out that I had feelings for him." He raised his eyebrows.

"But how do you know? That you have feelings, I mean." Amelia thought about it. _How did she know?_

"I guess... I don't know." She resumed walking, but was stopped by his hand on her arm. "Fred?" She looked at him with confusion in her eyes. His blue eyes bored into hers.

"Just make sure you're happy, okay?" She smiled, touched by his words and nodded silently. He gave a little nod back, before they started walking again, a comfortable silence hanging between them. After another five minutes of walking, they reached the locker rooms.

"I'll leave you alone then." He turned and started his walk back to the castle, leaving her to deal with Oliver. She carefully pushed open the door, praying that Oliver was at least decent by now. She was in luck, as he was sitting down on one of the benches, wearing a pair of muggle jeans and a dark blue t-shirt. She bit her lip, trying to decide how to start. Oliver beat her to it.

"I told him to get the snitch or die trying... I'm a terrible person." His head fell into his hands.

"No you're not. Harry knows you didn't mean it. He's okay, by the way."

"Good. And the broom?" Amelia's shoulders slumped.

"Unfixable. It landed in the whomping willow. But it'll be fine. Harry's got enough money to buy a new one."

"I should apologize."

"Maybe. But First I want to know how you are doing." She sat down next to him and was surprised to find him pulling her close, looking for some support. She wrapped her arms around him, telling him everything would be okay, without using her words.

"I'll never get our team the quidditch cup."

"There's still a chance you will. You just need to man up, and train your team, like you've never trained them before." This brought a little smile to his face. "You'll be okay, Ollie. I promise."

X- Harry Potter –X

The weeks passed quickly, Christmas coming and going. Before Amelia knew it, she was back at Hogwarts, after spending her break at home. She had been visiting Oliver and his family for a few days, happy that his family was already aware of her new status of 'girlfriend'. Her days at his home had been filled with running and rolling around in the snow with Oliver's twin nieces that were staying over, playing quidditch and warming up with hot cocoa by the fire. Presents had been exchanged and unpacked, leaving Amelia with new quidditch books and a broom polishing kit along with a lot of other presents. Even though the vacation had been fun, she was happy to be back at school with all of her friends. The days spent with aunt Cass had been quiet and tense. They had avoided the subject of Amelia's parents altogether, focusing instead on how school was going and if she needed anything before they'd have to get back to school. Jennifer had been going on and on about her new crush, Roger Davies and how he had defended her against some slimy slytherins, lead by Marcus Flint. Normally Amelia would've escaped the house and went to the Burrow, but since the Weasleys had stayed at school and Molly and Arthur were god knows where, that had not been a possibility. The first few days of school were pretty quiet and ordinary, until at one point Lupin asked her to assist him in teaching another student the Patronus charm. The teacher had taken quite a liking to her, asking her to assist in more of his classes. It had made her realize that she might want to teach when she finished school. Knowing the school's track record, there would probably be an opening by the time she graduated. She was surprised (or maybe not _that_ surprised) to find out that it was Harry Potter himself that needed help learning the spell. When Lupin entered the classroom a few seconds behind her, they exchanged a little smile, that only they knew the meaning of.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Amelia and Oliver were sitting in the stands that surrounded the quidditch pitch. They had decided to take a little time away from the constant nearness of their friends and have a little time together. Oliver had pulled her close, kissing her every few seconds, as she was trying to tell him about the latest lesson she had assisted Lupin in. After a while she gave up, kissing him back. When they broke apart they started discussing the fight Ron and Hermione had in the common room that morning.

"Hermione Granger? Harry's friend right?" Amelia nodded.

"Yeah, and just when they made up after the whole firebolt debacle."

"Well, I don't blame Harry for being mad about that." She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but Hermione was right. What if that broom was cursed? It could've killed him. And then you would miss the chance to do just that during practice tomorrow." Oliver laughed at her joke, before turning serious again. He had really been drilling his team, working hard to get everything out of them. They could not afford to lose another match, not if he wanted to grab his last chance to win the cup. He had been angry about his star seeker losing his broom, but understood why it had to be checked for curses. Both Oliver and Amelia got a little uneasy at the thought of a murderer being after Harry. Not that it was something new. For the third year in a row there was something dangerous revolving around Gryffindor's golden boy. After a minute or two of silence, they moved on to lighter topics. Like the twins' upcoming birthday.

X- Harry Potter –X

Several weeks had passed since that day in the stands. Weeks in which not much had happened. The only thing that really were interesting were, once again, the lessons with professor Lupin. Harry was progressing slowly in his Patronus lessons and Amelia had been granted permission to act as an teaching assistent during her free periods. Now, at 11:59 P.M., March 31st their little group of friends was holed up in the common room, waiting patiently until the twins returned from yet another one of their nightly trips to the kitchen. They seemed to visit the kitchen more than they went to their lessons it seemed. They walked in exactly one minute later, to a chorus of 'Happy birthday!' and soon they were sitting around, enjoying the butterbeer and snacks the twins had taken back from the kitchens. When the butterbeer was all gone, Oliver ran upstairs, only to come down with a bottle of firewhisky and a big grin on his face.

"Who's up for a little game of 'never have I ever'?" They had all been introduced to the muggle game by Katie a few months back, the night they had all spent at the leaky cauldron. The reaction was all positive and soon they were gathered around the fireplace, glasses filled with firewhiskey in their hands. Since it was the twins' birthday, they were the ones to go first, starting with George.

"Never have I ever... put on a dress!" Rolling their eyes all the girls took a drink, almost spitting it out when they noticed Fred doing the same.

"It was a dare." He said with a shrug. They all laughed at the thought, before continuing on. Fred thought about his sentence for a while. "Okay, I've got one. Never have I ever had a temper tantrum at school." Amelia let out a little grumble as both her and Oliver drank. It was common knowledge that she had quite a temper, often exploding over relatively small things.

"Okay, my turn!" Katie went next, followed by Lee, Amelia, Oliver and Angelina. Then it was Alicia's turn.

"Never have I ever... had a crush on someone in this group." Oliver and Amelia both took a drink, followed by both Fred and George, two pairs of ears turned a very obvious shade of red. Confused looks were thrown around by the girls, but they soon moved on to another round of the game. It was nearing the break of dawn when they finally went up to their dorm rooms, trying hard not to wake up anyone else in the process.

X- Harry Potter –X

Easter had passed and the tension for the final quidditch match of the year was building. Oliver was drilling the team harder than ever, and the team gladly followed his orders, wanting to finally win the cup. The slytherins were getting even more annoying than they usually were, although the little Malfoy git seemed to have taken a little distance from every flash of Gryffindor red he saw. The day before the match, Amelia was walking back from the quidditch pitch, having watched the team practice for a bit. She was unaware of the person following her at first. But he made the mistake of stepping on a small stick, making her turn around. She narrowed her eyes at the lonely figure of Marcus Flint, Slytherin's team captain and a wanker in general. His eyes flashed dangerously, the setting sun reflecting in his almost black eyes. Involuntarily Amelia took a step back, not trusting the look in his eyes one bit. He took a step towards her.

"Well, well, well... if it isn't Wood's little plaything. Shouldn't you be with your dear little loser back at the pitch?" Amelia bared her teeth at him.

"Back off Flint!"

"Would you look at that... The little kitten's got claws. Tell me, kitten, did Wood make you his yet?" She felt hate and anger boil up inside her and she knew he was going to regret every word he was saying to her as soon as she exploded. "Of course he didn't. Wood isn't man enough for you. You need a real man. One that shows you your place. Then again, those twins look like they might be into some freaky shit, I bet you're their plaything as well, when your little boyfriend isn't looking. But I wouldn't expect anything less from a little slag like you." She flexed her fingers, which seemed to be locked in a claw-like manner. "Is the kitten going to scratch me? You're not so bad as they say. Just a harmless little-" That did it. Her vision turned red and she pulled her arm back. Before Flint registered what was happening, her fist connected with his nose, breaking it in the progress. He fell to the ground, looking up at her with hate in his eyes and a pained look on his face. With a menacing grin that she only reserved for people she really, really hated, she looked down at him.

"Don't you EVER talk like that to me again. Or to my friends, for that matter. Or you _will_ be finished with. Understand?" She stepped over him, not caring enough to wait around for his reaction.

X- Harry Potter –X

Amelia spent breakfast the next morning blatantly ignoring the dark and hateful looks coming from the Slytherin table. Flint apparantly had managed to get his nose fixed up, but he had certainly not forgotten who broke it in the first place. She didn't tell anyone about what happened, not finding the energy to care about it. Of course Oliver did notice the looks, looking at Amelia with confusion.

"Why is Flint glaring daggers at you?" Amelia dropped her fork back down on her plate, with a sigh. She hated being disturbed during breakfast.

"He's probably glaring at you. You are going to beat his ass today, remember?" Oliver shook his head.

"No, he's definitely looking at you, lass." Their conversation had gotten the attention from the rest of the team, including Harry, who had barely said a word since he'd joined them.

"Fine. I broke his nose yesterday. I guess he had it fixed up by someone." She automatically raised her hand, knowing the twins would high five her. Everyone in their group had big grins on their face, having hated the Slytherin with a passion for years.

"When did this happen?" Olliver asked, frowning. "I've been with you nearly all day."

"When I was walking back to the castle during your practice. He cornered me on my way there."

"He must've said quite a lot of bad things, to make you break his nose." Angelina said, grin still apparent on her face.

"No comment." Amelia managed to hide her grimace from most of her friends. Most of them. Oliver, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, Lee and Harry started talking about the upcoming match, but Fred and George, who were seated on either side of her, turned their faces to look at Amelia.

"Lia, what in the bloody hell did he say to you?" George asked softly.

"It's not important, Georgie." She tore her gaze away from her food to look at the hand that had grabbed hers.

"Yes it is. We've known you for most of our lives, and we know when something isn't right." Fred's voice was soft and serious. His hand, still holding hers, tensed a little and Amelia was shocked to find a little tingling sensation make its way from her hand, through her arm and straight to her stomach. She soon forgot about that sensation as the twins kept pushing on. They noticed the forming of her tears before she did and after a subtle nod, George went to distract their friends, while Fred took Amelia out of the great hall and to an empty classroom. She reluctantly sat down on one of the desks, Fred taking place on the desk in front her, with his feet on the chair behind it.

"Talk to me, Amelia." It was not often Fred used her whole name, always shortening it or finding some other way to get her attention.

"I don't want to." He looked straight at her.

"You have to. We both know you need to talk about it. Flint said something that got to you, and I want to know what. You are going to repeat every single word he said to you, and after that I'll decide if I am going to kill him alone, or get the whole group to do it. Now spill." And she did. She told him everything Flint had said to her and she noticed him getting angrier and angrier, his ears turning red and his, normally, bright blue eyes turning several shades darker. When she finished her story, she saw murder in his eyes.

"Fred.. Please, just let it go. I broke his nose, he's not man enough to admit it and I'm fine with that. Can we go now? I don't want you to be late." Seeing the plea in her eyes, he nodded and got off the table. Before she was able to lead the way to the door, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into him for a hug. She stiffened at first, not being used to being hugged by either of the twins, and then relaxed. "Thank you, Freddie."

"You're welcome, Lia."

X- Harry Potter –X

They'd won! The cup was theirs! Amelia had been pulled into the group hug and together they were jumping and screaming, the twins lifting Harry onto their shoulders and Oliver pulling her against his chest, kissing her in front of everyone. When he did, Amelia realized something. She did not like it. Not just the fact that he did it in front of a lot of people, but the kiss itself. It felt _wrong_ for some reason. Deciding to forget about it for a moment, they went up to the common room to party. The twins and Lee went to raid the kitchen for butterbeer and somehow succeeded in sweet talking the house elves into handing over some firewhiskey. While they did that, the other Gryffindors readied themselves for the party. Some seventh years managed to conjure up a banner with a roaring lion and some muggle students managed to get their muggle radio working. When the twins and Lee returned, the party was already in full swing. It didn't take long for little groups to form, and soon there were drinking games being played. Amelia had been strolling the room, engaging in a little chit chat with several students, before stopping to join her friends in the circle they had formed with a bunch of sixth and seventh years.

"What are we playing?" She asked Katie, who was sitting on her left side.

"Truth or dare."

"Always a good idea when our lovely devil duo is involved." Katie grinned, before her attention was back on the game. Meanwhile, Amelia looked around the circle, trying to figure out who else was playing. Besides their normal group, there was Jacob Wilkins, who was a friend of Oliver, Denise James, who was a sixth year and the girlfriend of Jacob and Cameron Jones, a sixth year that was Denise's friend and that had grown up just a few villages over. She was shook out of her thoughts when Denise called her name.

"Amelia, truth or dare?" She took a few seconds to think about it.

"Truth."

"Have you ever gone skinny dipping?" She nodded, a grin apparent on her face. She tried not to look at Katie, afraid that she would start laughing. They'd actually been skinny dipping at the beginning of summer, when Katie had stayed with her for a few nights. Before anyone could ask for more information, Amelia turned to George.

"Georgie, truth or dare?"

"Dare, of course."

"I dare you to seduce one of the guys. And it can't be your twin, because that would be creepy." George didn't waste one moment, immediately standing up and making his way over to Oliver. Amelia couldn't help but laugh as none other than George Fabian Weasley tried his hardest to seduce her boyfriend. As she watched Oliver laughing at George's antics, she thought back to the feeling she'd had earlier. Why did that kiss feel wrong? To be honest, she'd been having more little moments of doubt over the past few weeks. She figured that it was probably just her imagination. After a few rounds and a little encouragement from the twins and Jacob, the questions and dares got a little _steamier_.

"Lia, truth or dare?" It was Jacob's turn to ask.

"Dare." There appeared a wicked look in his eyes as he thought of a dare.

"I dare you to snog someone of our group either male or female." She was about to say that it was no problem and that she'd just choose Oliver, when he continued. "But it can't be Oliver." Amelia's mouth dropped open. But, she decided, she was not going to let them brand her as a coward.

"I'm all for it. But I'm not deciding who. You can decide." Jacob thought about it for a while, leaning over to Denise to ask her what she thought.

"We have decided. Do you want male or female?"

"Male."

"Okay, Cameron it is." Amelia frowned at Jacob for making her kiss someone other than her boyfriend, but got up anyway. She moved over to where Cameron was sitting, across the circle and kneeled in front of him. He smiled nervously at her, but still managed a wink. She smiled back and leaned in, lightly pressing her lips to his. His lips were a bit chapped, but the kiss wasn't all that bad. When she sat back down in her own spot, she noticed Oliver looking confused for some reason. She mentally shrugged, thinking it was probably nothing, and went back to the game. It was only two rounds later that McGonnagal appeared to break up the party, stating that they would have to go to bed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

By may twenty-second everyone was studying for their end of the year exams. Amelia and Katie had decided to study outside, in their favorite spot by the lake. It took them all of ten minutes to start talking about anything but homework. Mainly Amelia's feelings for Oliver. She had trusted Katie with her feelings and confusion and Katie had tried her best to help.

"So have you decided what you're going to do?" Amelia shook her head at Katie's question.

"No. I don't know what it is, Kates. I love Oliver, but I'm not _in love_ with him. Do you know what I mean?" Katie nodded her head in answer. "But it might be just a faze." Before Katie could answer they heard familiar voices calling out to them and they soon were joined by Oliver, Lee, the twins and Angelina. Alicia was still in the library, looking for the books she needed. Lee had brought them all lunch and they spent a few hours enjoying the sun and the sights of the giant squid roaming the lake. Suddenly Fred and George jumped to their feet, an angry expression on their faces. Amelia turned around to see what had gotten the happy duo to switch their mood this quickly. She was not happy with the answer. Marcus Flint had made his way to their group, his group of cronies following him closely. Amelia locked eyes with one of them, before noticing that his arm had been forced behind his back, in an undoubtly painful way. She could feel a feeling of fear creep up on her, as she let her eyes flick over to her friends.

"What are you doing here Flint?" George growled lowly.

"Nothing Weasley. We just thought that Sterling would like to see her little boyfriend." She felt Oliver's gaze burn into the back of her head.

"Let him go Flint. Your problem is with me, not with him."

"You'd think so, right? But our fathers are quite close, and I doubt his dad would like him messing around with a little Gryffindor slag like you." Amelia felt her fingers twitch, as she tried not to look at her friends' faces. She was afraid of the horrified and disappointed looks she would see on them.

"Shut your mouth you bloody oaf!" George's voice came from het left and she heard the familiar low growl of a livid Fred on her right.

"I can handle this George." She chanced a look at the twin on her left and saw his angry gaze, which was still aimed at Flint. "Flint, you are going to let Eric go, right now. Or I'll punch you in the nose again." Flint grinned wickedly.

"Yeah? You and what army?" In answer to his mockingly asked question, her friends all stepped up to her side, easily outnumbering Flint's group. Flint's grin disappeared, making place for a menacing glare. He pulled out his wand and Amelia ducked, just in time, to avoid a jet of orange light, which she recognized as _infernum ignis_.

"Mr. Flint! How dare you use such a vile curse on another student? You are coming with me! Right now!" Never in her days at Hogwarts, had Amelia ever been this happy to hear McGonnagals voice. And he had been caught using a spell against her... She knew what this meant. He was going to be kicked out of school. As Flint's cronies released Eric and started to retreat, Amelia turned back to her friends, looking a bit guilty.

"Thank you." She was met by a crushing hug from Katie.

"I'm glad you're okay. That spell could have killed you!" Amelia smiled at her and then turned to Eric, who was awkwardly standing there, straightening his robes, the slytherin green catching several eyes.

"You okay Eric?" He nodded.

"Never better. Except for my shoulder, I think I'm getting quite a bruise. Stupid Garble pushed me into the wall a few times." Amelia grinned at him, before introducing him to her group.

"Guys, this is Eric Forrest. Eric, the gang." A few of her friends waved lamely, while the rest was just looking at them with curiosity in their eyes. She met Oliver's eyes and looked into them with uncertainty.

"Explain." Angelina said, after listening to the silence for a few moments. Amelia took a deep breath.

"It's nothing really. We just saw each other at this boring party Cass dragged me to and we kind of became friends."

"Where did Flint get the idea that you two had a... fling?" Amelia grinned at Lee's question.

"Spin the bottle. I was teaching some of them how to play it and he must have seen us."

After she had explained everything, her friends seemed to loosen up a little, despite the fact that Eric was a Slytherin. It helped that he explained that he didn't believe in all the crap most purebloods did. While Eric was slowly taken in by her friends, Oliver made his way over to Amelia.

"We need to talk." Amelia nodded, following him to a tree a little ways away from their group. "Amelia I... We... Bullocks. How do I say this?" Amelia had a feeling where this was going, so she tried to help him.

"What you're trying to say is that you love me as a friend, but nothing more." Oliver tried not to look like a gaping fish. "I've been feeling the same way lately."

"So... We're breaking up?" He asked softly, his brown eyes boring into her blue ones.

"I think we are." Even though it was a mutual decision, there were still tears clouding her vision. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him in a warm, friendly hug. Amelia finally felt like she had gotten her best friend back.

X- Harry Potter –X

Amelia was walking towards the lake. Her exams were done and her friends were all celebrating in the common room. Her and Oliver's break-up had not come as a surprise to their friends, most of them had already noticed the lack of sparks between the two of them. But that didn't stop them from asking question after question, eventually making her want to be away from them. She was just about to go left, towards the lake, when she heard a scream, coming from the direction of the whomping willow. She went out to investigate the source of the screams and sounds that followed, arriving at the tree, just in time to see the fairly recognizable figures of Harry and Hermione dissapear into a hole in between the roots of the tree. Knowing she did not have any time to lose, as the tree was still occupied with trying to swat away a few bats that were flying by, she jumped into the hole after them. She knew what she was getting herself into, because following boy wonder always led to danger and adventure. She slid down a steep slope, ending up face planting the ground in a low tunnel. She had to crouch through it, to avoid hitting her head and followed the two third years silently, trying to make sure they didn't hear her. After about fifteen minutes later the tunnel started to rise and twist, before ending in a very disordered, dusty room. Paper was peeling from the walls and there were stains all over the floor. When her eyes got used to the dark, caused by the boarded up windows, she noticed that all the furniture was broken, as though someone had smashed it to bits. With a start Amelia realized that she wasn't just in some beat up old house. She was in _the_ beat up old house. The shrieking shack. She was sure that the rumours of ghosts haunting the old house weren't true, because ghosts couldn't break furniture. She was distracted from her observations when she heard Harry and Hermione climb the stairs, which immediately told Amelia why they never had the element of surprise on their side. Merlin, they were loud. Because she had been so distracted, she didn't hear the person coming out of the tunnel behind her. She gasped when she was grabbed by the arm and a hand was placed over her mouth. The hand muffled her startled screams.

"Shhh. It's me." Recognizing the voice of her professor, her screams died down, making him remove his hand.

"What is going on, professor?" Lupin softly explained his presumption about the situation, before they silently started climbing the stairs. They heard Hermione scream at them that they were up the stairs, joined by Sirius Black. Had Amelia not known of Lupin's theory, that name would have halted her, even if it would've been for just a moment. Instead, they just kept on climbing the stairs, more quickly this time. They barged into the room, Lupin immediately disarming Harry, who had been standing over a bleeding, crumpled man. Amelia realized with a shock that she recognized his face from the wanted posters. He didn't look anything like the man in the pictures Lupin had shown her every now and then. She focused back on the situation at hand.

"Where is he, Sirius?" Amelia could hear the emotion he tried to hold back and noticed Harry's confused look that went back and forth between the two grown men. Black's face was expressionless. For a few seconds he didn't seem to move at all. Then, very slowly, he raised his empty hand and pointed straight at Ron. Amelia saw the bewildered look in Ron's eyes, he obviously didn't know what the man was talking about.

"But then-" Lupin's voice was soft, almost unrecognizable. "Why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless-" His eyes suddenly widened, as he realized something he obviously didn't calculate into his own theory. "-Unless _he_ was the one... Unless you switched... Without telling me?" Black nodded, very slowly, his eyes never leaving professor Lupin.

"Professor Lupin," Harry interrupted the silent conversation the two men were having. And quite loudly at that. "What's going- " The question would never fully leave his mouth, apparent by the shock on his face and the dropping of his jaw, as Lupin lowered his wand, walked over to Black to pull him to his feet and embraced him, like an old friend would.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione's shout broke the silence that had followed Harry's dropped jaw and she started freaking out. Amelia was not in the least shocked by the revelation that Lupin was a werewolf, because he had told her himself, not too long ago. That had been one fun conversation. She tuned back in when it came back to the subject of the trio's adventure of the night.

"No one was with us!" Harry's voice was filled with anger, shock and confusion.

"And then I saw another dot, moving fast towards you, labeled Sirius Black. I saw him collide with you, I watched as he pulled two of you into the whomping Willow- "

"One of us!" Amelia recognized the angry growl in Ron's voice, the one all the Weasley's had.

"No, Ron," Lupin said. "Two of you." He had stopped pacing the floor, which he had been doing for the past three or four minutes. "Do you think I could have a look at the rat?"

"What? What's Scabbers got to do with it?" Amelia was just as confused as Ron in that moment. What did Lupin want with Scabbers?

"Everything. Could I see him, please?" After a slight hesitation, Ron started to pull Scabbers out of his robes. Amelia sighed at the stupidity of the two adult men and the situation they were in. What in the bloody hell did Lupin want with the old rat? Scabbers had been with the Weasley's for.. Then it dawned on her.

"That's not a rat." It was the first time she'd heard his voice. It was hoarse, after years of not being used, and it sent shivers down her spine.

"What d'you mean- Of course he's a rat- " Ron said even more confused.

"No, he's not, " Said Lupin quietly. "He's a wizard."

"An Animagus," Black said, his voice slightly back to normal. "By the name of- "

"Peter Pettigrew." Amelia finished for him. Her words seemed to remind everyone that she was there.

"Who are you?" Sirius said, as he kept his eyes focused on the rat in Ron's hands.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked, confused. Amelia sighed and shook her head.

"I saw Harry and Hermione jump into the tunnel and decided to try and help if I could. Turns out, professor Lupin had the same idea." She turned to Black. "As for your question. My name is Amelia Marlene Cassandra Black. And I'm your daughter."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

There was a silence as he studied her, his mind momentarily away from the rat. Amelia didn't worry about that, knowing Lupin would keep an eye on the man. He was about to say something, when the golden trio decided to cut in, turning back to the more pressing matter at hand, namely the man who had, apparently lived his life as a rat, after ratting out his friends. Soon the story of how it all happened started to flow out, every little detail being mapped out and talked about. Amelia had let herself fall down on the bed, keeping her own eyes trained on Pettigrew as well, making sure the little son of a bitch didn't go anywhere. The story they were telling was cut short when none other than Severus Snape appeared, apparently out of nowhere. Snape attacked Lupin, making him fall on the ground, consequently angering her, Harry and her dad. They attacked him in the same moment, knocking him out cold, obviously resulting in Hermione breaking out into a panic attack. Soon Lupin was freed from the binds Snape had put him in, and the men were, once again after the rat. It took them some convincing and explaining, but there came a moment where Ron finally agreed to let them try and force Peter into coming back into his human form, and of course they succeeded, making a, severely un-attractive man appear. The man, true to his cowardly nature, tried to touch everyone's emotional and forgiving side, not succeeding in the least. When her dad got ready to kill the coward, both her and Harry stepped in between the two of them.

"What are you doing?" Her dad said, murder in his eyes. She knew the hateful look was not aimed at her, so she stayed in place as Harry told him to back down. Amelia was thankful for Harry's quick thinking. Of course they needed to take Pettigrew up to the castle. How else were they going to prove that Sirius Black, her dad, was indeed _innocent_. She felt so much lighter now she knew he had not betrayed his best friend. She would have hated the thought of her mother hating her father for betraying her _uncle_. She chanced a glance at Harry, a small smile making its way to her face. Her nephew. He was currently telling Sirius and Lupin how Pettigrew deserved to rot in Azkaban, more than anyone else in the wizarding world at that moment. Thankfully they agreed and they were soon on their way, a bound Pettigrew, unconscious Snape and wounded Ron dragged with them. When they were out in the open again, Harry and Sirius had been talking for the whole way back and her dad was now making his way towards her.

"I'm sorry we didn't get to talk until now." They sat down a little bit further down the road from the rest of the group they had been traveling in.

"It's okay. You know, given the circumstances." He grinned at her joke.

"You have my sense of humor, I see."

"And your temper, if Lupin is speaking the truth. " This time he let out a barking laugh.

"You seem like a great girl. I like you." She raised her dark eyebrows at him.

"Well, you kind of have to. Being my father and all."

"I can't believe you followed Harry and Hermione down that tunnel. I should be mad at you, but at the same time I'm strangely proud."

"You'll be even prouder when you meet my best friends. They're pranksters, just like you and your friends used to be." She noticed his eyes slightly glazing over and patted his hand, before standing up and giving him a little extra time with Harry. She was just looking over Snape, trying to figure out how bad his injuries were, when he started to wake up. When the confusion had gone from his eyes, he sat up, ready to berate her, like a teacher should, for being reckless. He didn't get a chance to do so, however, due to Hermione screaming out and pointing out at the moon. Amelia's eyes widened as she realized what was happening. Without thinking, she jumped in front of Harry, just as the werewolf clawed at him, resulting in her vision turning black, before she even hit the ground.

X- Harry Potter –X

She had woken on a bed in the hospital wing, just in time to hear Hermione tell Harry what she was wearing around her neck. Shortly after they disappeared into thin air, they walked back in through the large wooden door that led into the hallway. As Harry and Hermione neared the beds she and Ron were laying in (conveniently placed next to each other), Amelia sat up, ready to hear what had happened. So as Hermione sat down on Ron's bed and Harry sat down at the end of Amelia's bed, they told the story, not leaving one detail out.

"HE WHAT?!" Amelia ground her teeth. "What do you mean he escaped?! Are you telling me that Peter Pettigrew, the measly little rat, has managed to escape... Yet again, might I add?" Harry hung his head.

"I'm sorry, Amelia. We really tried to stop him." Amelia calmed down a little.

"It's okay, Harry. You saved my dad, and that's the most important thing." She hugged him, taking him by surprise. "I'm not going to be mad at you. Family should stick together." This made him look confused _again_.

"What do you mean?" Amelia smiled, knowing she would take him by surprise.

"Your dad had a little sister. Mary, was her name. Mary Potter. Your aunt was my mother." Harry's reactions, she realized, were really fun to watch. He really looked like a gaping fish in that moment. Just as he was about to say something, Oliver, Katie, Fred and George came storming through the doors, the twins immediately tackling Amelia so she fell back into the bed.

"Ow! Guys you're hurting me! Get off!" They had managed to hit the bruising on the side of her head and the scratches that ran across her side in the same moment. They quickly sat up, George taking place next to Hermione at the end of her bed and Fred carefully pushing Amelia a little to the side, so he could lean against her pillow as well. She shook her head at him, before smiling at Oliver and Katie. The latter looked at her with different emotions in her eyes. Oliver just smiled at her sweetly. "Thanks for coming to visit me." Katie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. That's what friends do. Blah blah blah. Tell us what in Merlin's bloody beard happened."

"Tut tut, always the impatience, young miss Bell." Fred said with a grin, before turning to Amelia. "Now show us your scars to be." Amelia rolled her eyes.

"There's nothing to see, madame Pomfrey bandaged them." He pouted a little, before dramatically throwing his arms around her.

"If you're dying you have to tell us right now! Just spit it out! How long have you got? Judging by the way you look, it can't be more than a week!" Amelia laughed at his antics, before hitting him for that last remark.

"Oh well, it's still better than what you look like!"

"Enough! Start talking Sterling!" Katie demanded again. So she did. She told them everything from that night, leaving out the fact that Sirius Black was actually her father. She wasn't quite ready for them to know that. Thankfully she had told Harry, Ron and Hermione as much before her friends had arrived.

X- Harry Potter –X

Amelia was forced to spend another five days in the hospital wing, missing the last Hogsmeade weekend of the year. Katie, Angelina and Alicia had opted to stay behind, instead spending the day in the hospital wing with her. She had been released just in time for the end of the year feast, catching the train the day after that. They'd managed to find a compartment to fit them all, even though it was just a little tight, forcing Angelina to almost sit in George's lap. Not that either of them seemed to mind. Right now they were getting off the train in London. Amelia was trying to haul her trunk out of the train, trying not to hiss when the wound on her side, which was not quite healed yet, hurt like a bitch. It didn't help when George pushed her out of the way, him and Oliver grabbing her trunk.

"I knew you were crazy, but I never knew you were stupid." Fred said as he started walking next to her, his steps matching hers. All they knew was that Madame Pomfrey had forbid her from lifting or doing anything heavy.

"There's a lot you don't know about me." Fred raised his eyebrows.

"Oh really? Try me." Amelia grinned.

"Favorite class?"

"Easy. A tie between care of magical creatures and transfiguration."

"Favorite color?"

"Red and gold" Just when she was about to tell him that he forgot one, he continued. "And light blue."

"Okay, okay. You're doing fairly well. How about a hard one?"

"Bring it on!"

"What's the shape of my patronus?" He would never know this one. She had mentioned it once, during a late night in the common room, when they were supposed to study. She was all ready to say 'I told you so', when he answered.

"A dragon." Her mouth fell open, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"H-how? What? How did you- ?" He winked at her, before walking the last few feet to his parents, just in time to see Harry leave with the Dursleys.

"Amelia dear, good to see you." Mrs. Weasley's normally bone crushing hug was a little less tight this time. Amelia suspected this was because of Ron telling her about the claw marks professor Lupin had given her. "Did you have a good time at school?"

"Yes, I did. Where are aunt Cass and Jennifer?" It was no secret that her and Jennifer weren't the best of friends and that they didn't talk at school, unless it could be helped, but she wouldn't actually try, and succeed, to talk Cassandra into leaving without her, would she?

"They went home, dear, we thought it would be a nice surprise for you to stay with us over the summer. Bill and Charlie are coming to visit and we know that you like to spend time with the twins as well." Amelia smiled at Mrs. Weasley, knowing there was probably another reason, she wasn't telling them. So, instead of leaving with her aunt and niece, like she usually would, she left with the red-headed family she loved so much.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

After a tedious car ride, sandwiched between Percy and George, Amelia was happy to be back in Ottery st. Catchpole. She hated car rides is general, but being besides a pompous git and a prankster was positively the worst car ride you could imagine. So, when she was finally able to get out of the car and stretch her legs, she let out a sigh of relief. The fresh, still slightly cool wind blew her hair in her face, as she turned towards the second car that had stopped. She had been thinking over the conversation she'd been having with Fred, when they were at the station. How in the name of Merlin had he known her patronus? It couldn't possibly be from that one time she had mentioned it, could it? She was pulled out of her thoughts by Mrs. Weasley, who had also gotten out of the car.

"Amelia dear, would you mind letting me check on your wound?"

"Sure, Mrs. Weasley."

"Call me Molly, dear." Amelia smiled at her, realizing, once again, what an amazing woman she was. She'd like to imagine that this is what her mother had been like. Sweet and caring, always there for others. It was a nice thought to have. Who knows, she might be able to get more information from her father, when they met again. She was absolutely sure they'd meet again, because there was no way she was going to get her father back and then lose him again. She quietly followed Mrs. Weasley into the house, through the kitchen and into Ginny's room, where there was already a cot set up for her. Mrs. Weasley motioned for Amelia to remove her shirt, leaving her in the sports bra and the bandages covering her side, and started to slowly remove the bandages. Amelia hissed as the last pieces covering her side were pulled off, revealing the wound Lupin's wolf form had made. Large, barely healed scratches marred the skin of her side. Mrs. Weasley frowned at the sight, before grabbing a tube of healing salve out of her pocket. She carefully applied the salve on the wound and stood, instructing Amelia to stay in place so the salve could dry. With a sigh Amelia did as asked, while walking towards the mirror to study herself. She wasn't too bad looking. She might be quite short, but her weight was fine. Her eyes were a nice shade of blue, grey circles on the outside of her irises. She combed her fingers through her curly, pitch black locks, a trademark of the Black family, she realized now. She noticed more and more difference with the year before. Her breasts had grown bigger and her body slightly curvier. She had noticed her school uniforms getting just a little tighter, as well as her muggle clothing. She made a mental note to ask Angelina, Katie and Alicia to go shopping. Just as this thought crossed her mind, she heard the door open. Assuming it was Mrs. Weasley, she turned around, her eyes aimed at the doorway. There she saw a wide-eyed Ginny.

"Oh hey Ginny." Amelia smiled sheepishly at the younger girl.

"H-hey." Ginny's eyes were glued to the deep scratches that were still out for the world to see. Amelia turned back at the mirror, studying the claw marks.

"They look quite bad, don't they?" There was no sound coming from her, just the soft closing of the door behind her. "Are you okay? I can't remember ever seeing you this quiet." There was still no sound coming from the red-headed girl. "Gin? Is this change in attitude still because of last year?"

"M-maybe. I don't know." She had sat down onto Amelia's cot, and Amelia decided to join her.

"Listen to me, you silly girl. There is nothing and no one who can take you down. You're Ginny Weasley, younger sister of the Weasley twins and daughter of the most badass, scary woman in this entire universe," this made Ginny laugh. Mostly because everyone knew it was true. "and I happen to know that you, oh adopted baby-sis of mine, are a very talented and temperamental witch, who can obliterate everyone that gets in her way." By the end of her little speech, Ginny was laughing again and she seemed a little more like herself.

"Thank you, Amelia. I needed that."

"You're welcome." Amelia hugged Ginny, or at least tried to. With a little groan she pulled back.

"Woah, Lupin really did a number on you, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but I don't blame him. Wait a minute... How did you know?" Ginny shrugged,

"Intuition." Amelia raised her eyebrows, but didn't question any further. She wouldn't get an answer anyway.

X- Harry Potter –X

Being at the Burrow felt like coming home, maybe even more so than being at Hogwarts. Amelia loved the sounds, the sights and the smells. Mrs. Weasley's cooking filled the house with smells like cinnamon, garlic and several other herbs that Amelia could not place. The sound of Charlie and Bill, who had both arrived the day before, setting up the tables outside, while Ginny tried to give them instructions from a little distance. And then there was the sight of Fred and George putting their feet on the table, despite the fact that Molly had told them not to do that, at least five times in the past ten minutes.

"Amelia, could you help me with something?" Ron was standing on the bottom step.

"Er.. sure." She stood to follow him, motioning for the twins to stay in place. When they arrived in Ron's room, he picked up a letter from his desk, handing it over to her. She started reading, not bothering to ask any questions.

 _Dear Amelia,_

 _I'm sorry we didn't get to say goodbye. Are you doing okay? Buckbeak and I are safe. I hope you don't mind me sending this letter through Ron, but I don't know if you've told anyone except the people who were with us that night. Please forgive me for not telling you where I am right now, but I can't be sure that the letters are not being intercepted. I hope to see you soon._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Your father_

Amelia smiled at the letter, happy to know that he was concerned for her wellbeing. She turned to Ron.

"Thanks Ron." He shrugged.

"It's no problem. You're welcome to use my desk if you want to write a reply. I'll just read quidditch weekly." She nodded and sat down at his desk, grabbing a piece of parchment and a worn down quill and started writing.

 _Dear dad,_

 _Thank you for your letter. My wounds are healing slowly. They'll leave quite the battle scar, but hey, what can you do... I'm spending my vacation with my best friends, so I won't be seeing Cassandra and Jennifer. I guess it's for the better, because I'm not sure if I have forgiven Cass yet, you know, about the whole keeping my parents' identity a secret from me and all. I'm happy you and the bloody bird are safe. Do me a favor and keep it that way, okay? I'll be expecting to hear from you over the summer._

 _Love,_

 _A._

Satisfied with her letter, she gave her letter to the owl that was waiting for a reply and told it to find Sirius. After thanking Ron again, she made her way back downstairs.

"What was that all about?" George asked, when she walked back into the kitchen.

"Nothing important." Ignoring the two pairs of raised eyebrows, she walked out the back door and past the spot where they were still setting up the tables, eventually stopping at the pond. She had a lot of good memories of that particular pond. Swimming lessons from Mr. Weasley, spending days at the pond when Bill and Charlie used to babysit her and Jennifer, splashing around with Ron and Ginny and cannonballs with the twins. And this summer they would make a lot more memories, she would see to that.

X- Harry Potter –X

Amelia and the Weasleys were seated at the kitchen table, enjoying a delicious breakfast by the hands of Mrs. Weasley, when there was a tapping at the window. Percy stood to open it, letting the owl that was waiting inside. He removed the letter from its claw, handing it over to Amelia. Just when he wanted to sit back down, three more owls came flying through. Mrs. Weasley muttered something about owls being a health hazard, while Mr. Weasley, Fred and Amelia untied the letters from the three new owls. All of them were for Amelia.

"I don't think I've ever been this in demand before." Amelia said with a grin, while taking the new envelopes from the men. "Do you mind if I open them?"

"Of course not, dear." Mrs. Weasley shooed the owls from the table, as Amelia opened the first letter.

 _Amelia,_

 _What a brilliant idea! I'm in! I'll meet you in the leaky cauldron at noon._

 _Katie_

Amelia grinned at the enthusiastic reply, before opening the next letter. Both Angelina and Alicia also agreed to meet her at noon. Amelia had no idea who the last letter could be from, but she decided to open it anyway.

 _Dear A._

 _Good to hear that you're well. I promise to stay safe and to keep you updated. Would you mind keeping an eye on Harry when he gets there? I can't help but worry about him. If he is anything like his dad he'll be a magnet for trouble. I hope you're having fun, make sure those twins don't cause too much trouble. I won't be able to write much during this summer, but I will write when you are back at school. Be safe and enjoy your summer._

 _Dad_

When Amelia had finished reading the letter, she folded it with a smile, before putting it in the pocket of her robe. Then she turned to Ginny.

"Would you like to come shopping with me today?" Ginny nodded happily, quickly shoving the remainder of her breakfast into her mouth, before running upstairs to get ready. Amelia smiled and took her time eating her breakfast, mentally making a list of things she needed to do and get. When she finished her breakfast, she thanked Mrs. Weasley and offered to help cleaning up, before heading up the stairs, trying to find something decent that still fit her. At 11:55 A.M. Amelia and Ginny stepped through the floo, heading for the Leaky Cauldron.

X- Harry Potter -X

After roaming Diagon Alley for a while, the girls decided to exchange their galleons, sickles and knuts for muggle money and head into muggle London.

"So where are we going?" Katie asked, as they looked around them. They had walked just about a block away from the Leaky Cauldron, and were trying to choose where to start.

"Well, it's obvious that we're all in need of some new clothes." Alicia piped up, gesturing at her slightly too tight jeans, and the jacket she was unable to zip completely shut.

"I think I know where to start." Angelina said suddenly, before grabbing Alicia by the wrist and walking to the left. After about a ten minute walk, they entered a store that was snuggly tucked between a book store with a large cardboard figure of an orange cat and a store that seemed to be selling muggle sporting goods. They all followed Angelina inside and immediately started browsing. Soon each of the girls had their arms full of clothes. Each of the girls had their own usual style. Angelina sporty and stylish, Alicia sporty and comfortable and Katie tended to go for the girly style. Ginny and Amelia, however, tended to just dress like one of the boys. Comfortable jeans, t-shirts that usually had stains or small holes in them and sneakers that had seen better days. It may not have been the best look for either of them, but it was perfect for playing quidditch in the back yard or doing chores around the Burrow. So it was no surprise to see that the clothes they were carrying consisted mostly of jeans and t-shirts varying in different colors. That was until Angelina noticed them.

"Oh no. We're not doing this again. Let me see." Angelina grabbed the clothes Amelia was holding and started going through them. When Angelina was done, she was left with two pairs of ripped jeans (one blue, one black), a white top with crossed straps, two sweaters and a denim blouse. Then she proceeded to browse the racks again, looking for clothes that she thought would be a good fit for Amelia.

"Angie- "

"Hush, I want you to try these clothes on. If you don't like them, that's fine. But you're going to at least try." Amelia smiled at Angelina. It still surprised her that her friends knew her this well. Just like she had been surprised by Fred's answers when she tested him. Amelia moved into the fitting room and grabbed the first piece of clothing from the stack she had been carrying. It was a knitted, white dress that reached about mid thigh and had short sleeves. It wasn't really tight, but it showed the curves she had started developing over the past few years. Even though it wasn't something she'd normally wear, she really liked it. After looking at herself in the mirror some more, she stepped out of the fitting room, showing the dress to her friends.

"You look great!"

"I like it!" Amelia smiled at their reactions.

"Told you so." Angelina said. "Now go try on the rest." Among the pile of clothes that Angelina had picked for her were a lot of skirts, dresses, simple black and white tops, blazers and jackets. To her surprise, she actually liked the way the clothes made her feel and she bought everything. After they had made their purchases, they left the store to have lunch and head further into the city. They were walking past a small store, when Amelia suddenly stopped to look at the store window. There, right in the middle was a black leather jacket. As soon as she saw it, she was in love. Before any of the other girls had a chance to react, Amelia ran into the store. Shortly after that, she returned with another bag in her hand.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey guys! As you might have noticed: I'm back! I've been struggling with writers block for well over three years and I just managed to get myself back together. Thank you for those who stuck with me! And thank you for those who are just jumping in in this moment. I'm so happy that you are giving me a chance to take you back to the wonderful world of Harry Potter! Please do me a favour and send out a review! I will be forever grateful :)**

 **Chapter 10**

Amelia woke up early the morning after their shopping trip. She was planning on helping Mrs. Weasley with some chores, before taking a nice walk through the woods surrounding the Burrow. It seemed like most parents had let up a bit about the whole Sirius Black escaping situation, since they were allowed to go off on their own more. She had decided to keep her skirts and dresses for later in the summer, not wanting to ruin her clothes during her adventures with the boys, so she just pulled on one of her old jeans and a t-shirt she had stolen from George a while back. She took her usual morning shower, braided her hair and then headed downstairs. She smiled at Mrs. Weasley, who was making piles of breakfast, like she did every morning.

"Good morning Amelia. Did you get a good night's sleep, dear?"

"I did. Thank you." It was a lie, and Mrs. Weasley knew it was a lie. Amelia's sleep was disturbed by nightmares about sharp claws and her side that kept hurting. There was no doubt about the fact that Ginny had told her mother about the nights Amelia woke up screaming or sobbing. There was also no doubt about the fact that Mrs. Weasley was trying her hardest to make Amelia feel at ease. They both knew that Amelia would look or ask for help when she needed it, like she had always done. Amelia sat down at the large table, nodding in greeting towards Percy, who was just finishing the last bite of his breakfast, before heading to his new job at the ministry. Soon her plate was filled with pieces of toast and bacon and a pile of sausages. Growing up with Fred and George nearby was definitely of influence on her eating habits, making her eat a lot of food in a short time. When her plate was empty, about five minutes later, she rose and put her plate in the sink, before walking up to Mrs. Weasley.

"Is there anything you'd like me to do?" Mrs. Weasley shook her head.

"No, thank you dear. The boys helped me with a lot of the chores yesterday, so you're free to do whatever you want to do. Be careful of your side, though." After promising to watch herself, Amelia walked out of the house, into the sunny garden. Her face was immediately greeted by the warmth of the sun and the sounds of chirping birds and buzzing bees reached her ears. Blindly she walked into the woods, following the path she had walked a thousand times when she was younger.

X- Harry Potter -X

The tree house could be found a little ways into the woods, hidden in an old oak tree. There were wooden steps, covered in spells to prevent you from falling down. It used to be her favorite place in the world, but she hadn't been here for a while. Last summer they had not been allowed to go out in the woods and the year before that the twins had gotten grounded because of the whole flying car spectacle. She silently climbed the ladder on the side of the tree, while ignoring the pain in her side, excited to see the place she used to hide from the world, when she needed to. She halted on the platform at the top of the ladder, trying to breathe the pain away. She didn't like the fact that she had to catch her breath every so often. She was known as an athlete for Merlin's sake! Ignoring the hurting in her side for a while, she stared out at the clearing in front of her, enjoying the peace and quiet. She loved the Burrow, but at times it was a bit hectic. As she was staring out at the peaceful clearing, she noticed two red-headed figures making their way towards the tree house. She let a little smile make her way onto her face, before turning and disappearing into the tree house itself, making herself comfortable on the worn-down couch they had put up there. The scratches on her side had started bleeding again the night before, and hurt like bloody hell, but she was determined not to let it show. She had barely found a position in which she didn't hurt, when the door opened and the twins stepped inside. They had obviously known that she was there, seeing as they were not in the least bit surprised to see her. George sat down on the couch next to her, as Fred laid down on the carpet, of which Amelia couldn't for the love of Merlin remember where they got it from. She immediately felt that they wanted to talk about something, the silence between the three of them tense. It was Amelia who broke it, deciding that whatever it was, it was best to just make them tell.

"Okay, spit it out." She was answered by Fred throwing a familiar looking piece of paper in front of her feet. The letter her dad had sent her! "H-how did you get this?"

"Why didn't you tell us?" George's voice was soft, a serious tone to it.

"I would have. Eventually."

"This is big, Lia." Fred sounded sad, hurt even. "Really big. You find out your dad is alive, and you don't tell us about it."

"It's not that simple, Fred. My father… He isn't who we thought he was. Nor was my mother." Both twins frowned and looked up, her words having piqued their interest.

"What are you talking about, Lia?"

"I- I can't tell you who my dad is. It's complicated." Fred had sat up by now.

"Don't you trust us?" The hurt was still evident in his voice, making Amelia's heart break a little.

"Of course I trust you! You've read the letter, haven't you? My father is in hiding. And for good reason!" Her outburst made them look at her, eyes wide. "My mother was killed! My aunt and uncle were killed! My nephew keeps trying to get himself killed every single year thus far! And my dad can't show himself! My life is bloody fucking fantastic right now! I don't need more drama thank you very much!" By the end of her screaming, Fred had jumped up from his spot on the floor and both twins were hugging her close, like they used to do when they were young.

"We're sorry, Lia. You can tell us when you feel ready, okay?" It took the twins a bit more talking to her, before she had calmed down. It was also the moment they knew that, whatever the reason Amelia's father had to hide, it was not good. Not good at all.

X- Harry Potter -X

Over the next few weeks, Amelia always had one or both of the twins near her. They could usually be found in the twins' room, hanging out with Ginny or near the pond, where Amelia would watch as the twins held water fights. Every now and then you would see Amelia and George looking all over the Burrow, trying to find Fred, who had disappeared more than a few times a week. Amelia had still not taken out her new clothes, putting it off again and again. Maybe it was for the best, as the claw marks still bled every now and then. The twins didn't bring up Amelia's dad again, instead choosing to hear her out about the rest of her family. They had stated the obvious about Harry being her nephew and kept bugging her with stupid jokes and puns about Harry, who they had decided to call the-boy-who-just-wouldn't-die. Soon enough, they were walking up the hill, joined by the golden trio, Ginny, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Diggory and Cedric, who they vaguely knew from school. It seemed to irk Fred that Cedric was flirting a little with Amelia, making her laugh so hard, she had to grab her side with both hands.

"Cheer up, Freddie. You look like a jealous boyfriend." George laughed at Fred, before the latter pulled a face and jogged a little more to the front to 'save' his best friend.

X- Harry Potter -X

How in the bloody hell had she managed to lose both Harry and the twins? She knew for sure that Fred and George would take care of Ginny. They would listen to what their dad had said and hide in the woods. Harry, Ron and Hermione were a bigger problem though. Those three were undoubtedly getting into trouble somewhere nearby. Making up her mind, Amelia went out to find the three thirteen year olds, ignoring the burning pain in her side. She mindlessly ran through the burning campsite, ending up somewhere on the right from where the screams were coming from. She was just about to circle back to the tents, when she was stopped by a dark, cloaked figure. She took a step back, about to turn around, but was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Not so fast, _kitten_." Amelia paled.

"What do you want?" She growled lowly. She turned in such a way that she could keep an eye on both hooded figures, though the first one she saw did not pose an immediate threat.

"I believe I already made that clear before the summer, didn't I?" She turned her hate-filled eyes towards him for a millisecond.

"You will _never_ get what you want, not while I'm alive and kicking!" The hissed words sounded strangely loud as they filled the air around the two of them.

"Oh, but it wouldn't be fun if you'd stop kicking." She could perfectly imagine the menacing grin that was on the face behind the silvery mask, and couldn't help but feel the slightest hint of fear chill her bones. She was determined not to show it though.

"Bring it on, you wanker." He suddenly had her arm in a vice-like grip, his fingers definitely about to leave bruises.

"You're coming with me, kitten."

"Get your hands off of her!" Amelia realized two things in that moment. One: Her attackers' eyes went comically wide. And two: Never before in her life had she been this happy to hear Fred's voice. Before either she or her attacker knew what was happening, the other hooded figure was laying on the ground, knocked out by a spell and a wand was pointed their way. The grip on Amelia's arm tightened even more. Suddenly George and Ginny appeared on both of Fred's sides.

"I believe my brother asked you to get your hands off of our best friend." George's voice held a deadly tone to it, and Amelia would hate to be on the receiving end of Ginny's stare. Her attacker seemed to think the same, as he gave her a big push, before disappearing. Amelia shot forward, tripping over a tree root and only avoiding falling flat on her face, because Fred jumped forward, catching her.

"Are you okay?" Amelia looked up at Fred's concerned face. She silently nodded.

"Did you get a look at him?" George and Ginny had ran to their side. "You seemed to know him."

"Flint." George immediately let out a low growl.

"There you are!" Mr. Weasley, Bill, Charlie and Percy came running into their line of sight. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? Just when I thought _that_ was our biggest problem." It was only now that they realized there was a huge, floating skull visible above them, a snake slithering out of its mouth. Amelia looked at Mr. Weasley, frowning.

"Is that what I think it is?" He nodded solemnly. "And Harry?"

"He's okay." After hearing those words, Amelia stopped fighting the blackness that tried to suck her in and fainted, still being held upright by Fred.

X- Harry Potter -X

When Amelia woke up, she felt the softness of a mattress under her, as well as the warmth and steady breathing of the body that surrounded her. For a second she panicked, opening her eyes wide, but then she realized that she was laying in a bed at the Burrow. More specifically in Fred's bed.

"Oh, you're awake. Finally." She turned her head towards George, who was sitting on the side of his own bed. She noticed he was whispering, and figured it was because Fred was asleep.

"What happened?" She tried to move as little as possible, wanting to avoid waking Fred up.

"You fainted after the whole Flint ordeal." Amelia frowned. It wasn't like her to faint, just like that.

"Why in the world did I faint?" George raised his eyebrows.

"Surely you must know that you have gigantic scratches running down your side?"

"You saw those?"

"Really Lia? You didn't think we'd notice at some point? We knew something wasn't right when we were still at school, but we'd figured you'd tell us sooner or later. It wasn't until you started bleeding through your clothes that we realized just what you were hiding from us."

"Are you mad at me?" George shook his head.

"Not mad. Just hurt. Though I think Fred took it harder than I did." Amelia turned her head slightly, so she could look at Fred's sleeping face and bit her lip, a habit that she had been developing over the summer.

"I'm sorry George. I really am. But I don't think I'm quite ready to talk about it yet." George gave a short nod.

"I understand. But I think you should talk to Fred. You know how he gets." Knowing Fred for such a long time had taught her a thing or two about the twin sleeping next to her.

"You're right. I'll wake him up soon." George gave a nod and left the room. Amelia carefully turned towards Fred, waking him in the process.

"Lia! You're awake!" He carefully tightened his grip on her, trying to avoid her side. Amelia couldn't help but wrap her own arms around his neck, pulling him as close as she possibly could. She'd never know why, but she suddenly started crying. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks and onto his shirt. He stiffened for a moment, before softly stroking her back. "Hey, it's okay. I'm here." It took him a while to get her to stop crying. When she finally did, it took her another moment to speak.

"I'm sorry Fred. I'm sorry for scaring you and I'm sorry for not telling you about the scratches. She felt his muscles tense for a second, before he softly let out a breath and pressed a feather light kiss on the top of her head.

"It's okay, Lia. You have no obligation whatsoever to tell me anything. It's not like I'm your boyfriend." There was a certain tone to his voice, which Amelia couldn't place. "Now, how about a little fresh air?"

"I would like that." They got up and Fred grabbed his broom and mounted it. Amelia, dressed in a pair of comfortable sweatpants and a t-shirt of the Harpies sat in front of him and soon they were flying through the air, before landing on the deck of the tree house. Amelia smiled at Fred as he put the broom away, before coming to lean against the banister next to her. They stood there in silence for a while, just staring out at the trees surrounding them.

"I love it here." Fred's voice broke through the silence, making Amelia turn to him. "I know it seems like I love chaos and mayhem, which I do, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I like coming here to think." Something clicked in her head.

"So every time George and I couldn't find you these past few weeks?"

"Yeah. I had a lot to think about." Amelia frowned at him.

"Want to talk about it?"

"I don't know if I should. It's complicated."

"Try me." Fred turned around and slid down the banister, until he was sitting down, shortly followed by Amelia.

"Okay. So, there's this girl. I like her a lot, but I don't think she could even think about me as something other than a friend. And that gets to me, because she's the most beautiful, charming and caring person I've ever met. I think I might even be in love with her." Amelia had mixed feelings about his confession. She was happy for Fred, she couldn't really recall him ever having real feelings for someone. Not this deep. But there was a part of her, kind of a big part actually, that was strangely… jealous. She had been so deep in thought, that she didn't notice Fred turning and looking at her. "Lia?"

"You shouldn't worry Fred. You're amazing. You're sweet, caring, know how to cook and you're fun to be around. I know the girl you're talking about will like you just as much, and if that's not the case, you'll be able to make her change her mind. I can't think of anyone in this whole bloody world who's a better person than you." Any words that might have followed her speech were gone the second his lips crashed into hers, turning her mind blank in a mere second. Her body responded automatically, her arms going up around his neck, her eyes closing of their own accord and, after the slight pressure of his tongue on her lips, her mouth opening to give him the opportunity to deepen the kiss. The moment his hands landed on her waist, her mind began to work again, and she pulled back with a speed like lightning had hit her.

"Lia? What's wrong?" Fred looked confused and a little bit hurt. She couldn't see that look in his eyes, she hated seeing him hurt.

"N-nothing. I have to go." She jumped up and grabbed Fred's broom, knowing he would forgive her for having to walk back to the house, and sped off.

X- Harry Potter -X

Amelia's mind was still racing when she entered the, thankfully empty, room. Ginny was probably out helping Mrs. Weasley with the groceries or hanging around the golden trio. Heart still thumping, she let herself fall down on her cot, staring up at the ceiling. Her sides were burning, and this time it wasn't because of the open wound in her side, but rather the remaining sensation of Fred's hands as they kissed. How had this happened? Within less than a year not one, but two of her best friends had kissed her. Amelia thought back to how she had felt when Oliver kissed her for the first time, but all she could see in her mind was that kiss Fred just gave her. She was shook out of her thoughts when there was a knock on the door.

"Lia? It's me. Can I come in? Please?" She kept quiet. "Please talk to me. I know you're in there."

"Fine." As soon as she said that, the door opened and Fred walked in. Amelia kept staring up at the ceiling, not wanting to look into his eyes just yet.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"I'm sorry." She frowned at the ceiling, when he said those words. "I didn't kn- I- I thought you- Will you just look at me?" She closed her eyes for a moment, before sitting up and looking at him. "I'm sorry, Lia. I really am. I shouldn't have kissed you without permission. I got a little carried away. It's just… Hearing you say those things about me… It got to my head." He looked at his feet, the top of his ears red. And then there was the stuttering. It wasn't too often that you heard one of the twins lose confidence in a thing they said. It actually was only the second time she'd ever heard one of the twins stutter. The only other time was when George had a little infatuation with a girl two villages over.

"Why did you kiss me, Fred? It can't just have been the things I said."

"I don't know. I only know that I was bloody scared when you fainted and I saw all that blood. There was so much blood, Lia." She heard his voice break, and quickly grabbed his hand, pulling him on the bed next to her, so she could hug him.

"It's okay, Freddie. I'm not going anywhere. It's gonna take more than a few werewolf scratches to kill me." He went rigid at her words.

"Werewolf scratches? That's what they are?" Amelia bit her lip.

"Yes." The word was barely above a whisper, but it was loud enough for Fred to hear.

"Why didn't you tell us, Lia? We would've been so much more careful." She looked down, blushing.

"I-it's kind of a long story."

"It's not good to keep everything inside, you know that, right?"

"Yeah. I know. But I'm not supposed to talk about it." Her evasion of the subject seemed to click inside his head, and he lifted her face to his, making her look into his eyes.

"Lia, the scratches… Do they have something to do with your dad?" Amelia nodded slowly. "I-is your dad a werewolf?"

"What? No!"

"Oh good. I was worried that Lupin might've been your dad." Amelia resembled a fish for a moment.

"N-no. He's not." She muttered something that wasn't quite understandable.

"What was that?"

"I said: just my godfather." Fred frowned.

"So, your dad used to be buddies with Lupin? I heard that all his old friends are either dead or-" Fred fell silent for a moment, and Amelia knew he had connected the dots. "escaped prisoners. Lia, don't tell me that you dad is-"

"Sirius Black."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Okay, so we're nearing the end of the part that's already written. To be honest, I have no idea where I am going with this. I also know that I will be having some trouble keeping up my writing, but I will not abandon this story. I simply love this world too much. I hope you'll leave a review! Thank you for reading!**

 **Chapter 11**

"You can't tell anyone. It's important. Only us, Harry, Ron and Hermione know."

"Why do they know?"

"They were the reason I met my dad last year. I followed Harry and Hermione when they went to rescue Ron. Dad pulled him into the shrieking shack."

"But why? Why would you be this fond of someone who murdered a lot of people?" He didn't sound mad, just confused and slightly worried.

"He didn't do it. He was set up. Peter Pettigrew is still alive."

"What do you mean, Pettigrew is alive? The only thing they found of him was a finger." His hand had moved to his hair, making his muscles stand out. Amelia put that thought aside and focused back on the problem at hand.

"Yes, and the rest of him lived in your house for many, many years. I believe you even tried to turn him yellow when you were younger."

"Scabbers?" Amelia nodded. "You're meaning to tell me that Scabbers has been Peter Pettigrew all this time?"

"Yes. And yes, I know how my dad escaped. No, I'm not mad at Lupin for scratching me-" She realized her mistake too late. Fred's look turned dark.

"I'll kill him!" He stood abruptly, like he wanted to just disappear on the spot (not like he could, but still…). Amelia jumped up, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards her.

"Don't Fred. Please. He didn't mean to. I'll be okay, I promise." He seemed to calm down, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Okay. I trust you. But if you're ever not okay, no matter for what reason and no matter how we are doing, I want you to come to me." Amelia nodded and relaxed in his arms, thinking about how good it felt to finally tell Fred every secret she had kept from him. She also noticed that being in his arms was making her feel something strange. Something she was trying to fight internally.

X-Harry Potter -X

The last day before the start of the new school year, their group of friends had decided to spend the day together, spending the day in a muggle zoo and having dinner together. It was the last time they would be able to all be together, Oliver included. It was relatively early in the morning, when Amelia was awakened by Ginny and Hermione. The girls had spent the night before talking about going back to school and the day Amelia had planned. And Ginny and Hermione had convinced her to put on a new outfit. After looking through her new wardrobe, they decided on a red dress that reached to a bit above the knee, a pair of black tights and her fashionable heels, which Mrs. Weasley had been kind enough to put a balance and cushioning spell on. The look was completed by her leather jacket and a few light makeup spells, also performed by Mrs. Weasley. When she was done, Ginny and Hermione were smiling broadly, obviously happy that they had talked her into it. Amelia took a look into the mirror, having to check twice, before she was absolutely sure that it was indeed her own face that looked back at herself. Her black hair had a healthy shine to it and her face was starting to get some more color. The wounds on her side had mostly healed, so she wasn't in pain all the time anymore. The only thing she would have left to show for her attack were the scars on her side, her heightened senses and love for rare steak. She was still studying herself in the mirror when the twins entered, with a bunch of noise. When she looked up, her eyes caught Fred's in the mirror, as George let out a whistle.

"Who are you? And what have you done with our sweet little Lia?" Amelia turned and laughed at George's words, though her eyes did not leave Fred's. She tried to gauge his reaction. He raised an eyebrow, before making a show of looking her up and down and letting out the same, flirtatious whistle George had just a few moments earlier. Where George's reaction had been nice, Fred's reaction was the one that brought a blush to her cheeks and made her feel… beautiful. Which was not the reaction she should have to him.

"Shall we head out?" George broke the silence that had followed the second whistle. "We have to be at Katie's in five minutes."

"Yes, of course." They said their goodbyes to Mrs. Weasley and the Girls, before jumping in the floo and heading over to Katie, who lived closest to the zoo they had decided on.

X- Harry Potter -X

It was nice to be back on the train to Hogwarts. It meant that soon she would receive letters from her dad again. And it meant that she could spend her days roaming Hogwarts again. She loved coming back to school after the summer. They had managed to secure a compartment for their little group again. It was strange to be back on the train without Oliver, but somewhere deep down Amelia was happy not to have him there at that moment. The day before had been fun, but awkward. Oliver had been staring at her every now and then, obviously noticing her change of style. They had talked, obviously. They were still friends, after all. But he had also obviously noticed that there was something different between them, so the talks were shallow. She decided not to think about that right now, instead focusing on the friends that were present at that moment. Somehow she had ended up between the window and Fred. All of her friends were talking and playing games, but she somehow couldn't get herself to participate. Instead, she kept staring out the window, thinking about the strange feeling she had been ever since the school year started nearing. Something was wrong, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice her friends falling asleep one by one, until just her and Fred were awake. He turned her way, smiling down on her. He had really grown over the past few years, not quite reaching Charlie's height, but definitely surpassing Percy.

"You thinking about what the year is going to bring us?" Amelia nodded.

"Yeah, I've got a feeling that something big is about to happen." He frowned.

"You mean the thing Charlie was talking about earlier?"

"No, something else. Maybe we should pay a little more attention to Harry this year."

"We will. It's a shame we gave him the marauders' map last year, it would've come in really handy. That boy is everywhere." Amelia smiled, thinking back to the day they'd nicked the map and the two years they had spent figuring it out. She also couldn't suppress a grin at the thought of the one thing she had kept a secret for him. She would surprise them with her knowledge about the marauders when her dad was a free man again. "Are you okay, Lia?"

"Yeah. I'm happy to be away from your brother." Fred laughed, knowing exactly which brother she was talking about.

"Percy's a pain in the arse. Even more than he used to be before." It stayed silent for a moment, before Fred spoke again. "I'm happy you're with me."

"What do you mean, Freddie?"

"That night, after the world cup, I was scared to death, Lia. I keep thinking about how different things could have been. It could've been just me and George right now. I don't want that. Ever. You're my best friend." His ears had turned pink and his confidence had toned down a notch.

"I'm not going anywhere Fred. I promise." After their talk they fell silent, both staring at the sky, which was rapidly turning darker.

X- Harry Potter -X

They were in shock. Why in the world was the school hosting this dangerous tournament?

"Dumbledore has officially gone off his rocker!" Amelia was pacing the common room, as Angelina, Katie and Alicia were sitting on the couch. "Doesn't he realize that this has the potential to cost lives? I just know something's going to happen. And I don't know how yet, but boy wonder's going to be part of it! He always is. And the twins are probably going to enter or die trying. Did you see their reactions? They are turning 17 in April. Thank god for that. I wouldn't know what to do if one of them would be chosen to compete."

"Calm down. Dumbledore is going to make sure nothing's going to happen. Both Harry and the twins will be safe." Katie sounded optimistic and Alicia was nodding along. Both girls looked tired, and it didn't take them long to excuse themselves, before heading upstairs. Angelina stayed in her spot, patting the couch next to her. Amelia sat down with a sigh.

"I know how you feel, Lia." It was strange hearing one of the girls using her nickname. "I'm scared to death about what the twins are planning. It will end in the hospital wing at best. It's not easy liking those two." Amelia turned to Angelina, eyebrows raised. Despite the darker skin tone of the older girl, she blushed a little and Amelia smiled.

"Did you just confess to liking one of the twins?"

"Maybe."

"It's George isn't it?" Angelina looked down at her hands, the blush still visible on her cheeks.

"Yeah."

"George is a good guy, you couldn't have made a better choice. That being said: If you ever hurt him, I _will_ find you." They started laughing, until tears formed in their eyes, ignoring the seriousness that had been in Amelia's voice and the worry they still had about the twins joining the tournament.

X- Harry Potter -X

The other schools were scheduled to arrive that evening, and the excitement was noticeable around the school. Between the first few lessons of the year, trying to deal with the reactions her new look provoked (mainly Slytherins that made crude comments) and worrying about the twins, who were constantly sneaking off, without giving any reason as to why they did. Amelia had lost track of the troublesome twins again, when she was pulled aside by a panting Angelina.

"Hey, what's going on?" Amelia was confused.

"I think I just heard something I shouldn't have."

"What do you mean?"

"I heard Snape mention your name to Dumbledore." Amelia frowned.

"What were they talking about?" This is where Angelina started frowning as well.

"Well.. I don't know if I should say this but… They were talking about… Sirius Black." Amelia felt the color draining from her face. What in the world made them think that it was a good idea to use her dad's name in a castle full of students in the middle of the day?

"Oh."

"You don't seem surprised." Angelina sounded worried, not knowing why Amelia didn't respond to her name being mentioned within the same sentence as that of a mass murderer. Amelia was saved from answering, when the twins appeared next to them, as if they had been called.

"What are you lovely ladies standing around for? It's almost time." George said, as he offered his arm to a blushing Angelina. Fred smiled and put his arm around Amelia. They had been growing closer over the summer and the weeks since that confession during the train ride. Amelia figured he had forgotten about the kiss he had given her, something she should have done as well, seeing as it hadn't been brought up anymore. The four of them walked outside, to a place where they would be able to see most of the school grounds, and sat down. George helped Angelina onto a large boulder, before climbing up next to her, while Fred spread his robe on the ground, ignoring the way the September breeze made him shiver. Amelia was soon pulled down on the spread out robe, sitting close enough to Fred to notice his shivering. She pulled out her wand, casting a warming spell over the two of them.

"Thanks." He said, leaning in a bit closer.

"You're welcome." She turned her head to look at him. "This is nice."

"Yeah." He was just about to say something else, when there was shouting and pointing all around them. Amelia turned away from Fred, looking in the direction everyone was pointing, only to see a large, magical ship appear out of the water of the black lake. There were a lot of ooh's and aah's, as the inhabitants of the ship started filing out, revealing mostly sturdy, handsome young men, all dressed in red and black robes, that looked like they were made to withstand low temperatures. Just as she was about to make a comment about how the testosterone levels of the school were about to go up a whole lot, she spotted something in the sky. She nudged Fred and directed his gaze towards the dot that was getting bigger.

"Guys look!" He called out to George and Angelina, who were still looking at the Durmstrang ship. In the time it took them to take their eyes off of the ship, the carriage had come quite close to the grounds, soaring over the heads of several students, stopping a little distance away from them. The powder blue carriage was quite big, even if it held a bunch of students and they all wondered why. As soon as the door opened, they got their answer, as a giant woman's foot touched the ground, shortly followed by the rest of the giantess, who they would soon find out was Madame Maxine. She was followed by a long row of girls in uniforms that had the same powder blue color as the carriage. The reaction among the male population was immediately noticeable, save for a few individuals. Not exactly knowing why, Amelia turned her head towards George, to see if he was being affected by the French students. She grinned when she noticed he was, in fact, not. After coming to that realization, she decided that she was not waiting for Angelina and George to confess their feelings. She was going to fix them up. And she knew just the person to help her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Amelia was slightly worried. She was sitting in the emptied classroom, where they had put the goblet of fire, joined by her group of friends. Angelina was sitting next to her, looking around frantically.

"Would you keep calm?" Amelia grinned as Angelina looked around for the fourth time in a minute.

"I don't see them anywhere. Where in the world are they?" Amelia shook her head.

"Angie, please. Dumbledore drew that age line himself. They will not succeed. We just have to be here and help them to the hospital wing, when needed." Just as the words left her mouth, the twins came casually strolling in, holding a vial each, triumphantly throwing their hands in the air and taking in the applause of several students around them. Amelia noticed Fred winking at her, as he and George got told off by Hermione, who was obviously thinking the same thing she was. She saw them walk towards the circle, before clinking the vials together and downing them in one go. "Ready Ange? We're about to be needed." The moment she said that, blue wisps of magic shot out of the circle, throwing the twins out. Amelia couldn't help but laugh as she noticed the twins getting up. They were sporting long, grey beards, that reminded her of Dumbledore. As soon as they looked at each other, accusations were thrown around and they started wrestling.

"I guess that's our cue." They walked over to the twins and started pulling on their arms, making them get up and walk to the hospital wing, where Madame Pomfrey was already waiting for them.

"I should have known that you two would be the ones to show up first."

X- Harry Potter -X

It was time for the welcoming feast that was being held for the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students. Amelia was sitting between Fred and Harry, looking up at the teachers' table. It was almost time to find out who was being chosen for the tournament. The thrum of excitement was apparent, as students and teachers alike listened to Dumbledore's speech silently speculating about who's names would come up. Soon Dumbledore's speech was finished and the goblet spit out a large, blue flame.

"The champion representing the school of Durmstrang is… _Viktor Krum_." Amelia grinned at the star struck look in Ron's eyes. The twins and herself still couldn't resist teasing the youngest Weasley boy about his admiration for the Bulgarian quidditch player. They all watched as Krum stood from the Slytherin table, where he had been seated next to Malfoy, looking quite bored, and walked through a door behind the teachers' table. The goblet fired up again.

"For Beauxbatons… _Fleur Dellacour_." A fragile looking blonde stood from the Ravenclaw table, her fluent way of moving was like honey to the bees for the male students. Amelia huffed, not liking the way the girl made the guys lose their head.

"Don't look so sour." Fred's voice carried the chuckles he was trying to hold in.

"I'm not."

"You look like you swallowed a lemon." Amelia didn't dignify his teasing with a response, instead choosing to focus back on Dumbledore. Just as she did so, the goblet broke out in a blaze for the third time.

"And lastly the Hogwarts Champion… _Cedric Diggory_." Amelia applauded loudly, along with every other Hogwarts student. Cedric would do great, she was certain of that. When Cedric disappeared through the door, Dumbledore was just about to conclude the ceremony. But the second he opened his mouth, the goblet was ablaze once again. Blue flames, even larger than before lit up the great hall, spewing out a tattered, slightly burned piece of paper, which Dumbledore caught with the agility of a young man. Amelia noticed his eyes widening for a second, before he called out the name on the parchment.

" _Harry Potter._ " Amelia's eyes widened, her chest tightening, as she turned to Harry.

"Harry? What's going on?" Harry looked confused as ever.

"I don't know, Amelia." As Harry was forced to disappear through the same door as the previous champions, Amelia felt herself slowly slipping into a panic. Suddenly her hand was enclosed by a larger, warmer hand.

"Just breathe, Lia. He'll be alright. They're never going to let him compete." The rational side of Amelia knew he was right, but then again when had the rules at Hogwarts ever been rational?

X- Harry Potter -X

"What the bloody hell are they thinking!" Harry had just told Amelia and Hermione that he was being forced to compete. "You're a bloody minor! This tournament is deadly and they're going to let a fucking fourteen year old compete?!" Her side was throbbing, something it did when she was stressed. "And what is that bloody wanker, that calls himself your best friend, thinking?!" Harry's face fell even more, as did Hermione's. Harry had just told her about the way Ron had reacted, accusing him of putting his name into the goblet, without telling him. Amelia knew she was going to hit Ron as soon as she saw him, that much was certain. The twins and Ginny were watching the three of them from a little distance. They knew better than to try and calm Amelia down before she was done. She may only have turned sixteen the day before, something that had been completely forgotten by not only her friends, but herself as well, she was still scarier than Mrs. Weasley and professor McGonnagal combined. She was so absorbed in her own anger that she didn't notice the way her eyes were ablaze and the two younger students in front of her cowered a little. Not that anyone could blame them, they didn't know Amelia for as long as the Weasleys did. "I am going to kill Ron! And those wankers from the ministry too! Putting you in danger like this! They really-" She went quiet when she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she turned, Fred, George and Ginny were standing there, the last two standing two steps behind Fred.

"Lia, you need to calm down. Harry and Hermione are going to have nightmares about you if you keep going." Amelia let out a deflated sigh, before apologizing to her nephew and his friend. She was surprised when Harry threw his arms around her. Despite still being thin, he had grown quite a bit and had surpassed her in height by a long shot. While still in shock from having Harry hugging her, she did not immediately notice that Hermione, Ginny and the twins had joined them in a group hug. Amelia couldn't help but smile, surrounded by the love of her family. When she looked up, she noticed a pair of familiar blue eyes looking their way, jealousy apparent in the way they narrowed. Ron. Amelia stiffened, which immediately was noticed by their little group. She felt a pair of arms tense, telling her Harry had also noticed him standing there. She decided to spare Ron. For now. This moment meant too much to her to let it be ruined by Ron being stupid.

X- Harry Potter -X

Amelia was sitting on the couch in front of the fire, her nose buried in a book, when Fred let himself fall in the seat next to her, his arm around her shoulders. His free hand threw a small present in her lap. Amelia felt a small fluttering in her stomach as she realized that not everyone had forgotten her birthday, even though she had. She smiled up at his grinning face and carefully started pulling at the colorful paper, revealing a small box. When she carefully removed the top of the box, she gasped at the beautiful pendant that was laying there. A large ring made of silver kept two small pieces of glass pressed together, a small, dried flower. Her eyes sparkled as she looked back up at Fred, not missing the bright smile that had formed on his face as he watched her reaction.

"Thank you. It's beautiful." She leant into his shoulder and let out a happy sigh. "Thank you for remembering."

"Of course. I wanted to give it to you last night, but… you know."

"I know." Suddenly noticing the chill that hung in the common room, Amelia cuddled up to Fred, enjoying his warmth, and opened up her book once again. That's how they spent the evening. Fred's gaze alternating between the light of the fire and the girl leaning against him and Amelia buried in her book, while the fingers of her left hand occasionally stroked the pendant that was still laying in the small box.

X- Harry Potter -X

The next morning Amelia was surprised by an unknown owl landing in front of her. She quickly removed the letter from its claw, before feeding the barn owl a piece of bacon from her plate. Fred, who was seated on her right side, turned to her, after she opened the envelope.

"Who's it from?" He asked.

"Dad." Amelia smiled at the D on the bottom of the letter. She quickly scanned the faces of their friends, before starting to read.

 _Dear A._

 _It's good to know that you've arrived safely at school. Harry told me that the school's hosting the triwizard tournament? Dumbledore really must have gone crazy. Remember that I asked you to keep an eye on Harry for me? Don't forget to keep an eye on yourself as well. The first Hogsmeade visit is coming up in two weeks, am I right? I might see you then. Oh and before I forget: I'm sorry I missed another birthday._

 _Love,_

 _D._

Amelia passed the letter to Fred, who read it quickly, before handing it back to her.

"Are you going to tell him about Harry?" He asked. Harry, who was sitting on Amelia's left turned at the mention of his name.

"Tell who about me?" This time the letter was handed to Harry, who read it along with Hermione. "I was actually about to write him a letter today. I need to talk about the tournament and some other stuff. We can send a letter together." Amelia nodded and gave Harry a message to pass on to her dad. As Harry and Hermione left, Amelia noticed Ron staring after them, jealousy in his eyes. That boy really needed to be thwacked up the head. Which was just what she was planning on doing as she stood from her spot next to Fred, when she was pulled back down.

"He's not worth it, Lia. He'll see the light sooner or later." With a sigh Amelia relaxed, leaning her arms on the table. Fred was probably right, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to tell Ron off.

X- Harry Potter -X

Amelia was on her way to the hospital wing, the twins following close behind. Apparently there had been a duel between Harry and Malfoy. The two wankers themselves hadn't been hurt, like they should have been for getting in a duel in the middle of the corridor, but Hermione had been hit by a spell. They entered the hallway, immediately spotting the bushy haired girl on the bed nearest to the door, boy wonder sitting next to her on a stool.

"Are you alright, Mione?" Amelia asked, as she hugged the girl that had become a good friend to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I got hit by a growing hex." There was something different about the younger girl, by Amelia couldn't quite put her finger on it. Harry laughed at Hermione's words.

"She got hit right in the teeth!" Amelia was about to hit Harry for making fun of Hermione, when she realized what was different about the girl.

"Hermione Granger! Did you get Madame Pomfrey to shorten your front teeth?" Hermione blushed, making Amelia and the twins laugh.

"We didn't know you had it in you!" The twins said in unison. They laughed and chatted until Madame Pomfrey gave Hermione the go ahead to leave the hospital wing.

X- Harry Potter –X

"Out of the way!"

"Move!"

"Watch out!"

"She's on war path!" Students jumped out of the way as Amelia stomped through the halls, eyes narrowed and lips forming a thin line. She was on her way to Dumbledore's office.

"Ah, miss Sterling. To what do I owe this pleasure?" He was already waiting outside his office. Amelia didn't say anything, just storming past him into the office and starting to pace the floor there. Dumbledore sat down in his chair, following the pacing student with his periwinkle eyes, waiting for her to tell him what she needed to get of her chest.

"Where does that nasty, slimy little reporter get the nerve to write such vile, vile things? We need to do something about this!" Dumbledore, true to his nature, already knew what she had wanted to talk about and didn't interrupt her as she gave a ten minute speech about what a vile woman Rita Skeeter was. When she was finished yelling and cursing, which she probably didn't realize she was doing, she sat down on the chair across from him, throwing the newspaper she had been clutching on the desk.

"You know we can't do anything about this, miss Sterling. As much as we'd like to, we do not have any influence on the daily prophet."

"But professor, we must! She can't talk trash about Harry like this! It's not right. He's just a boy. He-"

"Has always been thoroughly watched and criticized and that will continue for as long as he will live." Amelia slumped in her seat, defeated by the thought that Dumbledore would not help her with the issue at hand.

"There really is nothing we can do about her, is there?"

"I'm afraid not."


End file.
